crossfire FINISHED
by mistyblue1
Summary: UPDATED! yay! This is a KIETRO fic: when pietro moves in, kitty has to learn to deal with her love/hate feelings towards him, meanwhile jubes, rogue and bobby are involved in adventures of their own. ....Reviews will keep more chapters coming!
1. Default Chapter

NOTE: Well, everyone, here's the first chapter of "Crossfire," please tell me how you like it. Please give me suggestions as to possible scenarios, situations, that the characters can get into! That would be really appreciated! Also, please review, I'm not going to continue unless people are actually reading my story. Thank you, and enjoy!  
  
"You will be expected to report to all Danger Room sessions and follow the rules of the mansion, just like all the other students. Lights out at 10:00, no alcohol whatsoever, and if you want to leave the grounds you must tell either Miss Munroe, Dr. Grey, Logan, or myself. If you are willing to abide by these rules, you will find that we are fair and kind," Mr. Summers said with a smile, to the 2 new boys in front of him. Kitty pressed her ear closer to the hallway door.  
  
"What are they saying?" Jubilee hissed behind her. Kitty frowned, and put a finger to her lips.  
  
"Hold on," Kitty whispered back. She craned her neck to see a tall, good-looking silver haired boy with a perpetual smirk being given what looked like a schedule. In fact, it looked like the schedule Kitty herself had gotten on her first day at the mansion.  
  
"Let me show you your rooms," Dr. Grey said, leading both the boys towards the hallway.  
  
"They're LIVING here?!" Bobby yelped.  
  
"Shut up! Do you want them to hear you?" Rogue hissed.  
  
"Are they cute?" Jubilee asked eagerly.  
  
"Ow," Kitty muttered, as Rogue's elbow pressed into her back.  
  
"Oops, sorry Kitty," Rogue apologized, trying to sneak a look for herself, and accidentally falling against the door with a loud thump.  
  
"Did you hear that?" Kitty heard Mr. Summers ask.  
  
"Oh no, let's go!" Jubilee whispered fiercely, trying her best to squeeze out of her boxed position near the door. Kitty herself tried to move, but found she was firmly wedged between Bobby and Rogue.  
  
"Would y'all quit shoving!" Rogue said angrily, as Bobby clumsily tried to get up.  
  
"Ahem," a booming voice above them sounded. Kitty looked up to see a stern looking Logan, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Uh oh, Kitty thought, cursing herself for getting into this situation. It seemed, whenever Jubilee let curiosity get the better of her, the results were disastrous.  
  
"Hi," Jubilee said in a chipper voice, avoiding Logan's inquisitive gaze.  
  
"Do you mind telling me what the hell all of you are doing at this time of night?" Logan growled. Kitty gulped. She knew Logan was really a big softie under that gruff and tough outwardly façade but nonetheless, their punishment would not be an easy one. We're probably going to have, like, 80 nights of kitchen duty, Kitty thought mournfully, wincing at the idea of her least favorite chore.  
  
"We couldn't sleep, so we all came down for a glass of water," Rogue said calmly. Jubilee and Kitty exchanged relieved glances. Good old rational Rogue. Kitty knew Logan was most likely to believe Rogue out of any of them.  
  
"All of you couldn't sleep?"  
  
"That's right," Kitty nodded quickly.  
  
"Then why are you crouched near the door?" Logan asked, his eyes narrowed. Good question, Kitty thought.  
  
"We fell?" Bobby offered weakly.  
  
"Right," Logan said, rolling his eyes. "And it would have nothing to do with the two new recruits?"  
  
"Well, as long as they're here, they might as well meet them," Dr. Grey gave in. Jubilee let out an excited squeal as they were led into the kitchen. Kitty found herself face to face the silver-haired boy with the piercing blue eyes. Oh god, I must look like a mess, Kitty realized, running a quick hand through her sleep tousled hair.  
  
"This is Pietro Maximoff," Mr. Summers introduced the silver haired boy, who only gave a brief, curt nod. Boy, he looks friendly, Kitty thought sarcastically. "And this is Lance Alvers," he continued, pointing to the dark-haired smiling boy next to Pietro. "Pietro, Lance, this is Kitty, Bobby, Rogue, and Jubilee. Now, I'll give you all 5 minutes to get acquainted, but you have to promise to go to bed right afterwards," Mr. Summers told them.  
  
"Oh we promise," Jubilee promised promptly, while sneaking looks at Lance. Mr. Summers waved and headed back down the hall with Dr. Grey. Kitty saw Pietro roll his eyes and look bored. What is his problem? Kitty thought irritated. It was surprising that she found him so annoying. Kitty prided herself on usually being the one to lay out the welcome mat for all new recruits. Well, someone else can get that job this time, Kitty thought resolutely as she watched Pietro, he looks like he might bite someone's head off.  
  
"So, what are your powers?" Bobby asked casually.  
  
"Oh great way to break the ice Bobby," Rogue said, rolling her eyes. Jubilee giggled a little at the pun.  
  
"No, that's all right, I don't mind. I can start earthquakes," Lance said quietly. Kitty watched in amazement as the lamp across the room began to shake violently. And then after a few seconds, stopped.  
  
"That's really cool," Rogue remarked with a smile. "Isn't it, Jubes? Jubes?"  
  
Jubilee seemed to be in some sort of trance watching Lance, but quickly snapped out of it, blushing. "Oh yeah, cool."  
  
"What about you?" Bobby asked, turning to Pietro eagerly.  
  
"What about me?" Pietro said flatly. Kitty crossed her arms. This guy has the biggest attitude problem, Kitty thought disgustedly.  
  
"I meant, what are your powers?" Bobby repeated, a little nervously.  
  
"I have super-speed," Pietro said finally, as if he'd just imparted a valuable secret to them.  
  
"Gee, thanks for sharing," Kitty muttered. Pietro raised an eyebrow.  
  
"And who might you be?"  
  
"Kitty Pryde," Kitty asserted.  
  
"Your name is Kitty?" Pietro asked, smirking.  
  
"It's short for Katherine," Kitty said curtly.  
  
"Interesting name," Pietro said, with the same smirk.  
  
"You're one to talk, PIETRO," Kitty retorted. The others watched in amusement at the verbal battle.  
  
"Uh, chill out guys, we don't wanna wake the others," Bobby cautioned.  
  
"Of course not, that would be so.. naughty," Pietro mocked. Kitty clenched her teeth. He could mess with her, but if he thought he could make fun of her friends and get away with it, he had another thing coming.  
  
"What is THAT supposed to mean?" Kitty demanded, her temper flaring.  
  
"You guys are so whipped. Do you always follow everything that Summers guy says?" Pietro asked derisively. Kitty would have laughed if she hadn't been so pissed. Hardly a week went by without Bobby or Jubilee playing some prank or another. Whipped, indeed! "All you have are rules, rules rules!"  
  
" Right, and those rules are what's gonna keep us from getting killed!" Kitty shot back, rising to the defense of Mr. Summers. Sure some of the rules were dumb, but Kitty had not forgotten the kindness of the Professor in taking her in. This jerk Pietro had no right to insult them.  
  
"Uh huh, I'm gonna die if I stay out past 10:00," Pietro said, rolling his eyes. Kitty gritted her teeth, only Rogue's restraining arm kept her from socking him.  
  
"What are you guys still doing up?" Logan demanded, appearing practically from nowhere.  
  
"We were just going," Jubilee piped up quickly, casting one last look at Lance before shooting off down the hallway, followed quickly by Rogue.  
  
"Bobby, from now on you'll be sharing a room with Lance, is that okay?" Dr. Grey asked. Bobby shrugged.  
  
"No prob. I'll take you up. Watch out for the dirty clothes though, I nearly tripped and died the last time I came up without the lights on," Bobby warned Lance, as they walked down the hallway.  
  
"Now Kitty, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor?" Dr. Grey asked, taking Kitty aside by the arm.  
  
Kitty blinked. "Uh, sure Dr. Grey. What is it?"  
  
"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but Pietro is a little...," Dr. Grey trailed off.  
  
"Retarded?" Kitty offered.  
  
"Kitty!" Dr. Grey admonished. "I was going to say..rough around the edges. Which is why, I wondered if you minded showing him around the mansion, you know, helping him get acquainted, just until he makes some friends."  
  
Friends? With that attitude? Not likely, Kitty thought, casting a bleak look back at Pietro who was drumming his fingers rapidly on the kitchen counter. The very thought of hanging out with the arrogant jerk made her ill.  
  
"Uh, Dr. Grey, I really don't think I'm the right person for this," Kitty interjected. "Of course you are, Kitty," Dr. Grey said, surprised. "You're so friendly, you've always made the new recruits feel welcome in the past. You'll do fine."  
  
"Okay," Kitty agreed sighing, as Dr. Grey led her back into the kitchen.  
  
"Pietro, Kitty's going to be the one showing you around for the next couple of weeks," Dr. Grey explained with a smile.  
  
"That should be fun," Pietro said, winking at Kitty. Kitty flushed, trying to ignore how good-looking he was.  
  
"And look Kitty, Pietro has most of his classes with you," Dr. Grey said cheerfully, looking over Pietro's schedule.  
  
"Oh. Joy," Kitty said dryly.  
  
"Yeah, I can hardly wait," Pietro replied, with a sardonic smile.  
  
"Well, goodnight Kitty and thank you," Dr. Grey said, Kitty nodded and after sticking her tongue out at Pietro behind Dr. Grey's back, retreated down the hallway. I really should learn to be less friendly, Kitty thought resignedly. 


	2. first impressions

NOTE: I'm going off to college in one week (east coast.eep!), so I'm packing like a maniac and probably won't have much time to write. Please have patience, though, I never abandon stories! Thanks, and please review!  
  
Jubilee closed her eyes, trying to put out of her mind the image of Lance. It had to be illegal to be that good-looking. Of all the times to go tongue- tied, Jubilee berated herself, as she remembered her inability to carry on a conversation with him. It was doubly surprising, because half the time it was hard to shut her up. But Lance made the thoughts go clean out of her head, until she was just a blithering idiot around him. Tomorrow, Jubilee resolved sleepily, she'd make a great impression.  
  
The next morning, Jubilee woke to the irritating hum of the alarm clock. She was just about to swing her arm and dismantle the annoying little device when she suddenly remembered. My driving lesson, Jubilee thought panicked. And it was already 9:30! Great, Jubilee cursed, as she jumped out of bed and shook out her black hair. There was absolutely nothing Jubilee hated more than getting up early. However, it had taken her weeks to get an appointment with a driving instructor and even longer to convince the Professor to allow her to miss her morning classes.  
  
She had exactly half an hour to shower and dress. Galvanizing into action, Jubilee ran into the bathroom and took a rapid shower. She was thankful that practically everyone else in the mansion was an early riser and probably were at breakfast right now. Therefore, all the bathrooms were relatively empty, and she could take as much time as she wanted. Unfortunately, Jubilee thought as she dressed, today she couldn't enjoy a long, uninterrupted shower.  
  
Where was the blow dryer? Jubilee thought frantically, searching the drawers of her bathroom. I just used it a few days ago, Jubilee thought fretfully, knocking things over in her haste. Looking in the mirror, Jubilee winced. There was no way she was going out like that.  
  
"It has to be somewhere," Jubilee muttered to herself, running down the hall to the other bathroom to check. No luck. Suddenly it struck her where she had left it. When Bobby had frozen the locks on all the bathrooms on the girls' floor as a practical joke, she had been forced to use his bathroom. Jubilee sighed, as she climbed the stairs to reclaim her blow dryer.  
  
Jubilee reached it and found the lights in the bathroom off, and the door just a little open. Jubilee brushed her hair back absentmindedly, shoved the door open in her haste, and rushed inside. She heard someone to her right gasp, and Jubilee spun around to see Lance standing frozen in the shower gaping at her, his hand clenched around a towel.  
  
For a second, Jubilee just stood their numb with horror. Then, waves of embarrassment took over as she realized that she'd been staring at Lance's body for over a minute. She opened her mouth to apologize, offer some kind of explanation, but found herself, once again, speechless in his presence. Jubilee finally got her legs to move, and dashed out of the bathroom, running as if the devil were after her. She didn't stop until she had gotten downstairs where everyone was sitting down for breakfast.  
  
Jubilee sat down quickly, her breaths coming in shallow gasps. God, WHY does this stuff always happen to ME, Jubilee cursed, her cheeks flaming as the incident played over and over in her head in slow motion. I should have knocked, Jubilee told herself miserably, but how was I to know there'd be anyone in there at 10:00! I'm the only one who gets up that late!  
  
"What's wrong with YOU?" Rogue asked curiously, noting Jubilee's flushed cheeks and breathlessness.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it," Jubilee muttered.  
  
"Hey your hair's wet," Bobby pointed out obviously through a mouthful of cereal. "I know I know!" Jubilee snapped, her nerves on edge.  
  
"What's the problem, Jubilee? Are you nervous about your driving lesson?" Logan asked gruffly.  
  
"I wish that was it," Jubilee said mournfully.  
  
"What is it then?" Kurt inquired, looking up from the newspaper he was reading. Jubilee couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"I was looking for my blowdryer and I remembered I left in Bobby's bathroom, so I went in, and I ran in on Lance in the shower!" Jubilee blurted out, her cheeks on fire. Kitty and Rogue looked wide-eyed at her. Kurt let out a low whistle.  
  
"Holy cow!" was Bobby's astonished response.  
  
Dr. Grey and Miss Munroe exchanged amused glances with each other. "It's not like I did it on purpose! I didn't think anyone was in there! I mean, who else besides me is up at 10:00?" Jubilee said in a rush, her voice defensive. She stopped when she heard footsteps going down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Oh my god, that's him! What am I going to do?!" Jubilee said panicked.  
  
"Hey everybody," Lance greeted calmly, walking into the brightly lit kitchen. He has no RIGHT to sound so calm when I'm a mess, Jubilee thought, grabbing Kurt's newspaper out of his hands to cover her face. Jubilee stayed quiet while everyone said hello, hiding behind the thick newspaper, wondering if it were true that first impressions were always the most important..if it was, she'd never have a chance with him.  
  
"Hi Jubilee," Lance said, sitting down.  
  
"Hi," Jubilee mumbled. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bobby trying to muffle his laughter. She kicked him under the table swiftly.  
  
"Tell me, Jubilee, do you always read the newspaper upside down?" Lance asked gamely.  
  
"What?" Jubilee squeaked, and looked down to find he was right. She had been holding the newspaper upside down the whole time. Cross with herself, and blushing furiously, Jubilee slapped the newspaper down, and pretended to be vastly absorbed with her cereal. She bravely lifted her eyes to find Lance looking at her with a small, amused grin playing on his lips. Jubilee dropped her eyes quickly and glanced at her watch. 9:50. Only 10 minutes, and she would be safely away from the mansion and Lance before she could do any more things to embarrass herself.  
  
The phone rang and Dr. Grey got up to answer it. After a few minutes she sat back down with a regretful look on her face. "I'm sorry Jubilee, but your driving instructor can't make it today. Something about a family emergency."  
  
"What?" Jubilee said, disappointed. "So I guess I'm going to have to go class after all huh?"  
  
Mr. Summers was silent a moment. "Well, I guess you can use my car to practice driving for a few hours."  
  
"She CAN?!" Bobby asked incredulously. "Have you seen the way she drives?!"  
  
Jubilee kicked him again playfully. "Really?" Jubilee asked delighted. What a stroke of luck. Few people had the opportunity to drive Mr. Summers treasured black convertible. For an adult, Mr. Summers could be cool sometimes, Jubilee thought with satisfaction.  
  
"Yes, but under one condition," Mr. Summers said.  
  
"I knew it, here it comes," Jubilee groaned.  
  
"I'm not asking anything unreasonable," Mr. Summers said, an amused look on his face. "You have to have someone responsible teaching you. Unfortunately I can't offer my teaching services this morning, but perhaps you could find somebody else. How about you Logan?"  
  
Logan snorted. "I agree Jubilee has to learn to drive sometime but I don't have a death wish!"  
  
"Hey I'm not that bad!" Jubilee retorted. Back into someone's motorcycle, and automatically no one wants to drive with you. Sheesh. Logan laughed and exchanged a look with Bobby. Hmph. It looked like she was going to be stuck after all.  
  
"Well, my first class isn't until 12. Maybe I could teach Jubilee for a couple of hours," Lance suggested slowly. Jubilee spit out her juice. What? Lance was teaching her? The same Lance she'd seen in the buff just 10 minutes ago? This is a conspiracy, Jubilee thought resolutely, refusing to meet Lance's eyes.  
  
"That's very nice of you to offer Lance," Dr. Grey said kindly. "Isn't it Jubilee?" "Yup, real nice," Jubilee mumbled, getting up.  
  
"You're a brave soul Alvers," Bobby said solemnly, as Lance followed Jubilee out to the car. Jubilee swallowed hard and looked up at Lance, who was smiling down at her. I can't believe this, Jubilee thought. This is too weird.  
  
* What'd you think? Comments? Suggestions? R & R! hehe 


	3. history lessons

NOTE:Okay, first of all, thank you so much for all the great reviews! I'm so happy that all of you like this story. For those of you who like kietro fics, please ready my first story "Kitty vs. Pietro" and R & R please! Also, I'd like to say I appreciate the advice I've been getting, it's great, and I'll probably use it, so please keep them coming! This chapter is pretty short, but don't worry ch. 4 is much longer! Thanx again!  
  
Bobby Drake gulped the last of his juice and headed to his least favorite class: History. As he settled into his seat, he noted with a groan that the day's lecture was on the American Revolution. As Mr. Pruit started talking, Bobby scanned the room, and let his eyes rest on Rogue who sat a table away, scribbling down notes studiously. Him and Rogue were friends of course, well, actually more like acquaintances. In the 8 months since Rogue had arrived at the mansion, Bobby had to admit he didn't know that much about the mysterious, aloof girl.  
  
She was friendly with Kitty and Jubilee, but always kept everyone, even those closest to her, at a slight distance. Bobby knew it had to do with her mutation, and the sadness in her eyes haunted him when he sat sometimes watching her from afar. Come to think of it, Bobby couldn't remember when he'd ever had a straight conversation with Rogue. The only time he ever saw her was when they were all together as a group, and Bobby's attempts to crack through the carefully erected defenses were usually met with sarcasm or evasion.  
  
The more evasive Rogue got, however, the more Bobby couldn't get her out of his head. He hadn't told anyone about his interest in the stunning brunette. He knew just what they'd say. Logan would probably chase him through the house with a chainsaw, and Jubilee would say that Rogue was just too serious a girl for a goofball like him. Bobby sighed, his eyes catching every movement of hers, right down to the way she brushed back her hair with a silken hand.  
  
"Mr. Drake, would you mind sharing with the class just what you find so fascinating about the back of Rogue's neck?" Mr. Pruit demanded.  
  
Where do I start? Bobby thought. Then he realized that the class had fallen silent and Rogue was looking at him as if he'd suddenly started break dancing in the middle of the room. Did I say that aloud? Bobby thought in horror.  
  
Kurt raised an eyebrow, and his mouth was twitching in a violent attempt to keep from laughing. Oh my god, I did, Bobby thought, wanting to bang his head against the desk.  
  
"Ahem, Mr. Drake, this is an EXTREMELY important chapter, so I suggest you pay attention," Mr. Pruit said finally, saving Bobby from explaining his comment.  
  
"Sure, sorry," Bobby said, his eyes drifting back to Rogue. There had to be a way for him to get closer to her...he just had to figure one out. 


	4. the grand tour

NOTE: wow, this chapter was fun to right, it satisfies my kitty/pietro fetish, hehe! Enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW! Enjoy...  
  
Kitty checked her watch for the 5th time in the past hour. Where was he? I knew this was a terrible idea, Kitty thought, picking at a thread on her backpack impatiently. Dr. Grey had told Kitty to wait for Pietro in front of the gym at 10:00 for their tour, and now it was near 11:00, and the guy was yet to show. I'm giving him 5 more minutes, Kitty resolved, pacing the hallway.  
  
"Looking for me?" a husky voice asked behind her ear. Kitty jumped, nearly dropping her books in the process. Gritting her teeth, she turned to face him. He'd better have a great excuse, Kitty fumed, like he had to rescue a child in a burning building or had to fight off a wild manatee or something.  
  
"Where were you? You're over an hour late!"  
  
"Whoah whoah, angry already? It's only 11:00! Sheesh, I thought tour givers were supposed to be welcoming," Pietro remarked, holding up his hands.  
  
"For someone whose supposed to be super-fast, you sure took your sweet time in getting here," Kitty retorted, her arms crossed.  
  
" I just took a little extra time to make myself presentable," Pietro replied smoothly, and then scanned Kitty up and down with a smirk. Kitty looked down and winced at her lavender top, matched with white jeans. It hadn't seemed nearly so frumpy that morning as it did now, next to Pietro's form-fitting black pants, and polo shirt. Kitty hated to admit it, but Pietro looked striking and confident, and his blue eyes were...Snap out of it, Kitty scolded herself fiercely.  
  
"Let's move it, I want to get this tour over with so I can get to class," Kitty said shortly, and began walking towards the library. Pietro kept up with her easily.  
  
"Oh? And what's so fascinating about class that you feel like rushing? A boy?" Pietro inquired in a sing-song voice.  
  
"No, let's just say it beats hanging out with a certain motormouth and his over-inflated ego!" Kitty retorted. Pietro's deep blue eyes stared into hers and narrowed.  
  
"I hope your not talking about me."  
  
"Hmmm, do you see any other conceited motormouths around here?" Kitty asked, scanning the room.  
  
"Do you always plan a hostile attack on innocent newcomers?" Pietro asked, eyebrows raised.  
  
"Have you always had that gigantic attitude problem or do I just bring out the best in you?" Kitty shot back.  
  
"Do you always answer a question with a question?" Pietro asked irritatingly. Kitty pursed her lips.  
  
"Let's just get this tour over with before I lose my last shred of sanity," Kitty muttered, pausing in front of the large library. Pietro gave a sideways grin that acknowledged that he'd gotten under her skin. Why did he have to be so infuriating? Kitty wondered as Pietro leaned lazily back against a row of lockers.  
  
"Ahem, so this is the library," Kitty said finally.  
  
"You don't say," Pietro said dryly, glancing at the large sign which read "Hawkins Library."  
  
"And this is the auditorium where we have plays and stuff like that," Kitty said, ignoring his comment.  
  
"Are you in drama?" Pietro asked suddenly, turning to her. Kitty flushed slightly, and was irritated to find how unsettling it was to have those blue eyes focused on her.  
  
"Nope, I'm not the acting type," Kitty said, offhandedly. "Besides, the plays are always rigged. No matter how good you are, one of the cheerleaders or jocks always get the lead. They write the script, direct it, and star in it."  
  
Pietro raised an eyebrow. "There are cheerleaders at this school?"  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. How typical. "Well, sort of. There are some students who aren't mutants, that have rich parents, so they get to take some classes here. They go to Bayville High across the street. But ever since their auditorium got blown to bits by that freak bomber, the Professor is letting them use our auditorium and gym. So you'll probably see the cheerleaders and the rest of their posse haunting the halls, at some point in the day," Kitty finished.  
  
"My guess is you don't have a very high opinion of them," Pietro remarked. Kitty thought back to the number of times the cheerleaders had ruined her day, and her lips tightened.  
  
"You guessed right. And speak of the devil," Kitty murmured under her breath, as Stacy Parsons appeared at the far end of the hall, a pair of sparkly pom poms clutched in one hand. She stopped and sneered when she saw Kitty.  
  
"Kitty Pryde, shouldn't you be, studying or something geeky like that?" Stacy asked, her perfectly tweezed eyebrows arched in derision.  
  
"Stacy, what a surprise, I thought ladies like you only worked at nights...usually on some street corner," Kitty pointed out coolly. Stacy turned tomato red with anger.  
  
"You should-," Stacy stopped when she suddenly noticed Pietro's lean figure resting against the lockers surveying them with aloof amusement. "I mean, you should.really introduce me to your friend," Stacy finished, her eyes taking on that hawk-like gleam whenever she went on a manhunt. Kitty gritted her teeth when she saw Pietro step forward with a charming smile and take her hand.  
  
"Pietro Maximoff, at your service," Pietro said smoothly.  
  
"I'm Stacy Parsons, you're new aren't you? I would definitely have noticed someone like YOU around!" Stacy gushed, flashing a flirtatious smile his way.  
  
"You're right, I just came here yesterday," Pietro answered, with an answering smile. And there's that Maximoff charm again, Kitty thought sarcastically. She had a feeling she could do the splits right in the middle of the hallway and neither of them would notice.  
  
"Really! Well, I'll just have to show you around, I'm free right now," Stacy offered, giggling.  
  
"Actually, I'm-," Pietro started. But Kitty interrupted coolly.  
  
"He's all yours, Stacy. I'm out of here," Kitty said disgustedly, spinning on her heel. The two of them barely noticed she had left. Kitty couldn't figure out why she was so angry that Stacy was after Pietro. They'd make a great couple, Kitty tried to tell herself, they're both so annoying. I should be thanking her for taking him off my hands, Kitty told herself sternly.  
  
"Hey where'd you run off to?" Pietro's voice sounded right behind her. Kitty stopped and turned around, her brown eyes flashing.  
  
"I figured you'd be busy exchanging hair-care tips with that praying mantis Stacy, so I thought I'd leave while I still had some of my brain cells left," Kitty retorted, wondering why just the sight of those eyes fixed on hers could send her heart thumping crazily.  
  
Pietro looked amused. "Praying mantis, huh? I don't think she was that bad."  
  
"You wouldn't," Kitty muttered and turned to walk back to class.  
  
Pietro's voice rang clear behind her. "I hope we can finish this tour later!"  
  
"Don't count on it!" Kitty shot back, and took off down the hall, feeling her pulse racing. Of all the people that could move into the mansion..why did it have to be him? 


	5. driving Miss Crazy

NOTE: Hey, everyone, thank you for the great reviews! To litirick: hehe, I know Bobby/ Rogue is weird..which is exactly why I'm doing it. It's definitely a challenge, I'm trying my best. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm going to do Lance's POV, firstly, because it's really hard for me to write from a guy's perspective (seriously, who knows WHAT they're thinking). Also, I don't really know the character of Lance very well, enough to write from his perspective. But I appreciate the suggestion all the same, thanks. Enjoy!  
  
  
  
"Everyone has a blind spot, so you have to remember to look at your rearview mirrors before backing out," Lance instructed. Jubilee nodded, but her heart was still going nuts over the fact that his hand was on the back of the headrest, mere inches from her neck. Okay, calm down, Jubilee told herself. Just because this guy is ridiculously good-looking and unbelievably sweet, doesn't mean you have to start obsessing!  
  
Actually, Jubilee couldn't manage to bring herself to make eye contact with him ever since they'd gotten into the car. Lance had acted natural, not even mentioning the little incident that had actively ruined Jubilee's chances in making a great impression. God, he probably thinks I'm some pervert, Jubilee mused.  
  
Fact was, she was incredibly nervous around him, more nervous than she could ever remember being in front of a guy.  
  
"So Jubilee, how long have you been at the mansion?" Lance asked casually.  
  
"Oh just a few years, my parents thought it'd be the best for me," Jubilee said, swallowing hard. Was he going to say ANYTHING about that morning? The tension was killing her. She wished he'd just yell at her and get it over with instead of giving her those little smiles. The next thing you know, he's going to start talking about something as trivial as the weather, Jubilee thought caustically.  
  
"Beautiful day out, isn't it?" Lance quipped.  
  
"It sure is," Jubilee replied quickly, trying to figure out how the traffic had gotten so badly without her noticing. Suddenly the road in front of her was teeming with cars and trucks. Large, ugly, tankers that looked like they could easily wipe Mr. Summers' prized Corvette off the road into a ditch. Jubilee shuddered at the thought. Oh jeez, Jubilee thought, swallowing hard when a large car swerved dangerously close to her.  
  
"Hey, relax, your doing fine, just flip on your turn signal," Lance said soothingly, noticing the way Jubilee's hands clenched the wheel.  
  
Not daring to take her eyes from the road, Jubilee fumbled with her hand and flicked a random switch. Suddenly, the windshield wipers came on, and little spurts of water began clouding the windshield. "Oh my god, I can't see the road!" Jubilee freaked out, her large blue eyes filling with panic. She grabbed the steering wheel when she saw a green blur which suspiciously like a tree, and made a sharp left. The turn was so unexpected that Jubilee was jerked forward, and her foot practically stomped on the gas pedal, lurching the car. She screamed as the car careened hard into a small van parked on the side of the road.  
  
Jubilee refused to open her eyes until she realized the car had stopped completely, the front fender smashed into the van, whose back was open and overflowing with donuts. Jubilee peered closer, the words on the side of the van read "Dunkin Donuts." The van must have been making a delivery, Jubilee realized miserably, as she looked out the window and saw the dozens of scattered and demolished donuts. Lance wordlessly, leaned over and gently pried her shaking hands away from the steering wheel. Then he turned off the windshield wipers, and steered the car into a nearby parking lot. Once the car was safely parked, Jubilee could feel her pulse slow down and felt an embarrassed flush work from her neck up. At this point, she felt like banging her head against the steering wheel. She waited for Lance to say something but he was silent. Finally, Jubilee couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"Okay, here's your cue to tell me what a total screw up I am!" Jubilee blurted out, looking down at her hands. Lance was still silent. "I mean, first I run into you in the shower, I mean, uh, that came out wrong," Jubilee stammered. "I meant, WHILE you were in the shower, not like, I uh, PLANNED it or anything! And then 5 minutes on the road, and I'm already guilty of driving through a Dunkin Donuts van, ruining hundreds of lives!" Jubilee blabbed, through Lance's silence.  
  
She finally looked over to see Lance clutching his sides. Oh god, is he hurt? Jubilee thought, horrified at the thought.  
  
It took her a full 5 seconds to realize he was laughing. Jubilee's jaw dropped as Lance made no indication of stopping, doubling over in his seat. Finally, Jubilee found her voice.  
  
"What's so funny!"  
  
"Oh, god, you!"  
  
Jubilee didn't know whether to feel insulted or relieved that he was taking this so well. Maybe the accident gave him brain damage, Jubilee wondered, as Lance began gasping for breath.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You," Lance repeated, still trying to force back laughter, "and your idea that millions of lives are ruined because you totaled a Dunkin Donuts van! Yes, thanks to you, nobody in this town will have their morning's crullers, you horrible person!" Lance gasped, holding his sides, and breaking into laughter again.  
  
Jubilee opened her mouth to offer a retort, but stopped, realizing the total absurdity of the situation, and a small grin formed at the corners of her mouth. "It is kind of funny, isn't it?"  
  
"You said it," Lance replied, smiling. The two fell into a comfortable silence, both smiling as the surveyed the mess around them.  
  
"Um, I was wondering if you would, um,-" Jubilee ventured, wondering how to ask him if he could drive home. She didn't feel ready to take the wheel so soon. Fortunately, Lance seemed to know just what she was thinking.  
  
"No problem," Lance replied, grinning as he stepped out and exchanged seats with her. Once safely in the passenger seat, Jubilee breathed a sigh of relief. The ride home was peaceful, and devoid of any near-collisions.  
  
When they pulled into the garage, Jubilee unbuckled her seat belt and turned to Lance. "Um, you aren't going to tell Mr. Summers what happened..are you?" Jubilee ventured.  
  
"No, I think I'll save it for blackmailing purposes later," Lance said, as they walked towards the mansion doors. Jubilee gaped at him.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"I was just joking, relax," Lance informed her, grinning. Jubilee smiled back, and opened the front door.  
  
"Um, thanks for the lesson Lance," Jubilee said shyly.  
  
"No problem." Lance turned to enter the house, but then faced Jubilee, a mischievous look on his face. "Oh, and Jubilee, about this morning?"  
  
"Yeah?" Jubilee asked, feeling her face burn up at the mention of it.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Lance replied, and winked at her before going into the house.  
  
Jubilee stared after him. I think I'm getting to like driving, Jubilee thought, sighing. 


	6. flustered

NOTE: um...nothing, really, hehe. Just a desperate plea for more reviews! Thanks!  
  
Rogue sat flipping through the TV Guide, highlighter in hand. Hmmm, nothing good on, Rogue noted sighing as she scanned the schedule for the day. Suddenly, she heard a noise to her right. Rogue looked up quickly, and turned to see Bobby walking towards her, a very silly grin on his face. Oh geez, why do I have the feeling I'm about to be the victim of one of his infamous pranks, Rogue thought, as she saw Bobby stand next to the couch.  
  
"Hi, Rogue."  
  
Rogue cleared her throat. "Hey, Bobby." She waited for him to ask her something, or get on with the prank, but Bobby just stood there staring at her with that same goofy grin. This was definitely weird. She and Bobby were friends, but he'd never really sought her out without Kitty and Jubilee around. Usually, Bobby was out chasing some girl or harassing the older members of the X-men.  
  
"Uh, do you need something?" Rogue ventured, after a brief period of silence.  
  
"Nope," Bobby answered, still smiling. Rogue noted that he had a very nice smile, perfect even white teeth, which really set off his deep blue eyes. And WHY am I noticing these things all of a sudden? Rogue wondered, irritated with herself. She had always kept everyone at a distance. That way, no one could get hurt.  
  
Rogue sat still on the couch for awhile, trying to get back to analyzing the TV Guide, but found it impossible, with Bobby Drake looking at her so fixedly. Have I suddenly sprouted a 2nd head or something? Rogue wondered. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Getting up abruptly, she tossed the TV guide on the coffee table.  
  
"Uh, I'm going to, um, make myself a sandwich," Rogue announced, and headed off the kitchen. To her surprise, Bobby followed her in, and leaned against the doorjamb, surveying her with interest. What is going ON, Rogue thought, as she reached for the peanut butter. Maybe if she made him something to eat, he'd leave, Rogue thought. It wasn't that she didn't LIKE having him around, it was just-...she wasn't used to being the center of attention for guys. Especially, class clowns like Bobby Drake.  
  
"So, you want a sandwich?" Rogue ventured. Bobby shook his head, and gave her another smile.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks."  
  
Rogue made her sandwich, glad to have the distraction of smearing peanut-butter on bread. After a few minutes, Rogue decided she'd had enough. "Is there something fascinating about the way I make a sandwich?" Rogue blurted out.  
  
"Actually, yes, there is," was Bobby's reply. Rogue flushed. Jeez, am I blushing, Rogue groaned inwardly. She was supposed to be the calm, cool rational one. So why was she suddenly speechless.  
  
"Look, Drake, I don't know what kind of weird game this is, but-," Rogue began, angrily.  
  
"You know, you're really cute when you're mad," Bobby interrupted, grinning again. Rogue stopped, thoroughly flustered. She had to get out of there before she totally embarrassed herself.  
  
"Um, I think I hear Mr. Summers calling me," Rogue said hastily, her cheeks flushed, and exited the kitchen quickly.  
  
Once safely inside her room, Rogue paced the room, confused at her own emotions. She suddenly heard a knock at the door. Rogue walked and jerked it open, to find Bobby there. NOW what does he want?  
  
"You forgot your sandwich," Bobby said, looking as if he were trying not to laugh at the look on Rogue's face. Rogue grabbed the sandwich from him, jumping when their hands brushed lightly.  
  
"Thanks," Rogue said quickly, trying to shut the door, but Bobby blocked it easily.  
  
"Oh, and Rogue?"  
  
"WHAT!" Rogue exploded.  
  
"Mr. Summers is that way," Bobby replied, pointing in the direction of the kitchen that he had just come from. He winked at her, and took of down the hall whistling. Rogue was left holding the sandwich, feeling stupid at being caught in a lie. "Wierdo," Rogue muttered, taking a bite of her sandwich. But a cute weirdo, nevertheless. 


	7. sweet poetry

NOTE: sorry it took so long to update guys! Thanks for all the great reviews, I really appreciate it! Enjoy! And don't forget to R & R (stories need love too! Hehe)  
  
Kitty sat in English class, trying her very hardest to ignore Pietro who was throwing tiny crumpled up paper balls in her hair. How mature, Kitty thought darkly, shaking her hair out for the 10th time, and watching as the tiny balls fell to the floor near her feet. She was determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her explode. I..will..not...scream, Kitty chanted slowly to herself, as another ball hit her forehead.  
  
"Today, we will be writing short poems, as practice for next week's poetry assignment."  
  
"This class just keeps getting better and better," Pietro muttered.  
  
Kitty took out her notebook, and tapped her pen against her chin, waiting for the teacher to give them their topic.  
  
"Kitty?"  
  
"What?" Kitty asked through clenched teeth.  
  
"Can I have a piece of paper?" Pietro asked sweetly, showing off his pearly whites. Okay..new chant, Kitty thought momentarily mesmerized by his eyes, I..will.not.notice.how..annoyingly..good-looking..he.is. He is a troll, an ugly troll..with amazing blue eyes..AAAAH! Kitty forced herself to calm down, as her thoughts took on a life of their own.  
  
"Maybe if you didn't keep using your own paper as torpedoes then you'd have some left!" Kitty snapped.  
  
"That wasn't me," Pietro said, his eyes sparkling with laughter.  
  
"Yeah, I know, it was the one-armed bandit," Kitty said sarcastically. Then, sighing, she tore a piece of notebook paper and passed it to him. He took it unceremoniously, and began scribbling on it.  
  
"Your topic is to write a short rhyming poem about the person next to you. This is just to warm you up," Miss Balsom reminded them. Kitty looked to her left and found Pietro smirking at her. Oh god, not him, Kitty thought, desperately looking for someone, ANYONE else to write about.  
  
"Looks like I'm your partner," Pietro pointed out, leaning on his elbow and smirking.  
  
"Unfortunately," Kitty muttered. She ripped out a sheet of binder paper and tapped her chin with her pen, trying to think of how to start. She stole a look over at Pietro and found him writing intently. Looking down at her own blank paper, she suppressed a groan. Why was it when it came to Pietro, she became so scattered? Creative writing is supposed to be my favorite class, Kitty reminded herself, while absentmindedly doodling on her paper.  
  
Suddenly before she knew it, Miss Balsom cleared her throat, and Kitty saw all the students look up. Kitty scanned the room and found that hers was practically the only empty paper. She bit her lip nervously, hoping she wouldn't get called on to read her non-existent poem aloud.  
  
"So, who'd like to volunteer to read their poem aloud?"  
  
Kitty's jaw dropped as Pietro raised his hand. Miss Balsom smiled and nodded at him. Pietro stood up ceremoniously, his eyes glinting with what seemed like unceremoniously. Kitty put her own pen down and looked up at him, feeling a mixture of dread and curiosity.  
  
"Ahem, my poem on Kitty Pryde," Pietro began formally. Kitty rolled her eyes and laid her head down on the desk.  
  
"What can I say about Kitty Pryde? She always looks as if someone died She could be a cool girl, if she weren't always so prissy She acts so tough, but I fear she's a sissy  
  
Kitty felt a hot furious flush sweep her cheeks as she looked on in outrage. Pietro kept reading nonchalantly.  
  
"She hardly ever goes out, probably never dates," Whenever I run into her, it's always in the same place In the mansion, reading or something equally boring, If you talked to her, you'd probably end up snoring."  
  
Kitty clenched her fists and looked up at him murderously as the class laughed. How DARE he write such a completely...DEROGATORY, untrue, lousy poem about someone he hardly knew! Suddenly, her mind was filled with several adjectives to describe Pietro.  
  
"Well, Pietro that was...interesting. Kitty, why don't you read us your poem about Pietro?" Miss Balsom suggested.  
  
"Yes, Kitty, why don't you?" Pietro suggested, winking at her.  
  
"I WOULD, but I couldn't find anything to rhyme with IDIOT!" Kitty spat out at him.  
  
"Miss Pryde!" Miss Balsom said, shocked. Kitty mumbled an apology, glanced up at the clock, wondering when the torturous period would be over. Stupid, Pietro. She was furious, a feeling pretty uncommon for her. Kitty was used to being the mansion's unofficial peacemaker, playing referee in the tiffs between the students. She had never had to contend with someone that irritated her so completely.  
  
Finally the bell rang, and Kitty scooped up all of her books and practically threw them in her bag. Then as she was rushing out the door, a strong arm caught her wrist. She spun around to face none other than Pietro. For once, he wasn't smirking, he looked almost...apologetic.  
  
"Kitty, can I talk to you?"  
  
Kitty stared at him, hardly believing the nerve he had. First he humiliated her in front of the entire class and now he wanted to talk?  
  
"You are the LAST person in the world I would ever want to talk to right now!" Kitty bit out, her eyes flashing. Pietro stared at her and his face softened.  
  
"Look, I didn't mean to-,"  
  
Kitty cut him off furiously. "It doesn't really matter what you MEANT to do, you did it, okay? Now let me go, because I think I'm about to vomit just from being near you!" And with that, Kitty wrenched her arm away, and fled down the hall, dangerously close to tears. What is wrong with me? Kitty wondered, still feeling his warm fingers on her wrist. As if I want his stupid attempt to apologize, Kitty scoffed, annoyed at the lump in her throat. Why was she always getting emotional when it came to Pietro? He's just a stupid annoying jerk, Kitty told herself, stomping to her room. 


	8. picture's worth a thousand words

NOTE: more reviews please, pretty please? well, I'm leaving for college on Monday night (hehe for any of you guys that care), so it'll be about a week or so before I can sneak away from my mom's unpacking obsession and get on a computer! Anyways, hope u guys like this chapter!  
  
Jubilee sat daydreaming as Rogue mumbled something or other about Bobby. Lance, lance lance, lanceandjubilee..Jubilee doodled on the front of her binder. Suddenly, Kitty stormed into the room, tossing her backpack to the side and flopping onto the bed. Rogue and Jubilee simultaneously looked up from their own daydreams, concernedly.  
  
"Are you okay Kitty?" Rogue asked.  
  
"Just peachy," came the muffled response from the bed.  
  
Jubilee sighed and got up to walk over next to the bed. "Alright, spill. What happened?"  
  
"Why don't you ask the glorified god himself, Pietro-the loser/jerk- Maximoff?' Kitty said, sitting up, and crossing her arms in front of chest resolutely.  
  
"I would, but he's not here right now," Jubilee quipped.  
  
"He totally humiliated me with this dumb poem he wrote about me," Kitty explained, flushing at the memory.  
  
"And he didn't apologize?" Rogue asked, leaning on the bed with one elbow.  
  
"Um, well," Kitty trailed off, as she remembered how she'd cut him off. "I'm not sure. All I know is, the less I see of him the better."  
  
"You know Kitty, you have a total history for love/hate relationships," Jubilee remarked.  
  
"What?! First of all, there is no LOVE in our so-called relationship! And two," Kitty sputtered, "I do not have a history!"  
  
"What about that time you totally dissed Hugh Jackman for, like, a year? And then you finally admitted you had the biggest crush on him," Rogue pointed out.  
  
"Besides, I don't think I've ever seen you get so worked up over a guy," Jubilee added.  
  
"I'm not worked up!" Kitty yelled, her cheeks taking on a rosy hue. She stopped, as her friends looked at her wide-eyed. "Sorry guys," Kitty apologized sheepishly.  
  
Rogue exchanged an amused look with Jubilee. "I'm guessing you don't want to talk about this now."  
  
"You guessed right. I'm working on my own person Pietro Maximoff voodoo doll," Kitty said, giggling as Jubilee grabbed a plush pillow and mock "stabbed" it.  
  
"What's going on with you and Lance?" Rogue asked. Jubilee smiled at that, and leaned back in her chair.  
  
"What's going on? Well let's see, I've managed to make a complete idiot of myself in front of Lance every time I see him. And I mean, EVERY TIME. That takes skill, you know," Jubilee said, sighing. Kitty smiled at that, and patted her friend comfortingly. "So, that's about it," Jubilee finished.  
  
After a few minutes, Jubilee and Kitty both turned to look at Rogue. Rogue was staring intently at some old pictures from last summer. When it became clear that Rogue was in her own little world, Jubilee cleared her throat. "Well?"  
  
Rogue looked up startled. "Well, what?"  
  
"Are you interested in anyone?" Jubilee asked bluntly. Kitty rolled her eyes at her friend's directness.  
  
"What? No way," Rogue answered much too quickly, and diverted her attention back to the pictures.  
  
"What is so fascinating about those pictures?" Kitty asked curiously, trying to lean closer to see the photos.  
  
"Nothing, they're just some old pictures," Rogue said a little defensively, and tried to cover the pictures with her pillow. But Jubilee was quicker, her hands whisked under the pillow and grabbed them in a rush. Rogue lunged after them desperately, but the pictures ended up flying all over the floor.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Kitty, look at these!" Jubilee said excitedly. Kitty walked over and her jaw dropped open. Almost every one of the pictures had Bobby in them. "Bobby's in every single one!"  
  
"That is just a coincidence, okay!" Rogue said defensively, her pretty face flushing red.  
  
"Suuure, Rogue."  
  
"What? It is!"  
  
"Oooh, look at this one," Kitty giggled, pointing at one with Bobby in swim trunks. Rogue blushed anew, while still fiercely denying it. Jubilee laughed as well, it was just too much fun to tease Rogue, mainly because their friend, with all her sarcasm, hardly ever had crushes.  
  
"As I said, this is just totally a coincidence," Rogue replied indignantly, and began picking up the pictures. As she reached for another, the door suddenly opened.  
  
"Hey guys, Miss Munroe wanted me to call you for dinner, so I-," Bobby broke off as he looked down to see a mortified Rogue holding the picture of him in trunks.  
  
Jubilee felt her face going red from trying not to laugh. The situation was just too funny. An uncomfortable silence followed as Bobby looked from Rogue's flushed face, to Kitty's muffled giggles. Finally Rogue stood up, and cleared her throat.  
  
"Ahem, I just want to say, that this is totally not mine!" And with that, Rogue dropped the picture as if it were on fire, and beat a hasty exit. 


	9. we're doing WHAT!

NOTE: hehe, well I thought I'd write a couple more chapters before I left for the airport. Enjoy guys, and please review! Thanks to all the people that wished me, you guys are the best!  
  
  
  
"Now everybody, Mr. McCoy has been nice enough to make dinner tonight," Dr. Grey announced, beaming warmly at the blue furred Beast who smiled widely as everyone broke into claps and loud hoots.  
  
"I didn't know you could cook Mr. McCoy," Jubilee commented in surprise. Logan snorted.  
  
"He can't. I'm still recovering from the last time ol' Hank decided to treat us to his Spicy Casserole," Logan said, wincing down at his plate.  
  
Beast let out an indignant sound. "My friend, I do believe your food poisoning resulted from your unhealthy amount of alcohol in addition to those disgusting bacon rinds you seem to enjoy."  
  
"Sure whatever you say," Logan said with a smirk.  
  
Kurt flashed a sympathetic smile at Beast, his favorite teacher, and bravely swallowed a mouthful of quiche. He stopped, and grabbed wildly for his water. Then, managing a weak smile, chewed manfully until he'd gulped the whole mouthful down. Pietro and Lance exchanged skeptical looks. Pietro shrugged and stabbed himself a forkful of the hot quiche, and stuck it in his mouth. Chewing for a few moments, he swallowed as well.  
  
"It's a little hard, but it's way better than what we're used to," Pietro muttered finally. Beast beamed at the off-handed compliment. The rest of them shrugged and followed suit.  
  
"What's for dessert?" Pietro asked immediately, after wolfing his entire plate in a few minutes.  
  
Dr. Grey exchanged mysterious smiles with Miss Munroe. "Suffice it to say it's sweet."  
  
"Speaking of sweet, my car reeks of jelly donut. I can't, for the life of me, figure out why. Logan, did you-?" Scott began. Jubilee and Lance exchanged secret smiles.  
  
"Nope, I only borrow your bike, One Eye, not that wimpy Corvette. Sides' I hate jelly donuts," Logan said, while poking at his food with his fork.  
  
"Well, I'm glad all of you are here, because I have some news about a fieldtrip," the Professor said, smiling at them.  
  
Kitty raised an eyebrow. "A fieldtrip, Professor? What about classes?"  
  
"What about them?" Pietro cut in. Kitty glared at him and Pietro glared back unwavering.  
  
"SOME people, may actually care that they're missing classes a week before finals," Kitty retorted.  
  
"And OTHER people, could care less," Pietro shot back.  
  
"Half-pint, Hummingbird," Logan warned. Pietro winced slightly at the nickname but fell silent.  
  
"Anyways," the Professor continued after a few moments. "All finals are being postponed a week, due to this outing. You don't have to worry about not having time to study, especially you Kitty," the Professor added, smiling at Kitty, who blushed at the compliment.  
  
"So where are we going?" Jubilee jumped in eagerly.  
  
"The carnival," the Professor said, after a moment of deliberation.  
  
"The carnival?" Kurt echoed.  
  
"But, isn't that, like, for-," Jubilee began.  
  
"Kids?" Mr. Summers finished. "Well, yes, technically it is."  
  
Bobby leaned forward frowning. "Your postponing finals for a week so we can go to the carnival? There has to be a catch!"  
  
"How good of you to mention it," Logan said smirking. "You're right, there is a catch. Chuck, you wanna tell them what they'll be doing there?"  
  
The professor stifled a grin. "You'll be babysitting the younger children of the Institute for the day."  
  
"I knew it!" Bobby groaned.  
  
"Babysitting, mein gott, but aren't those children a bit..unruly?" Kurt asked tactfully.  
  
"They're holy terrors," Logan agreed.  
  
"Logan!" Miss Munroe admonished.  
  
"Ahem, I mean, they're not that bad," Logan amended quickly, while giving them all a pitying look.  
  
Rogue frowned. "I don't get it, why don't you guys just babysit them?" she asked, pointing to the adults. Miss Munroe and Dr. Grey simultaneously laughed at that.  
  
"We babysit everyday, my dear. We want a day of rest, where we can read or go out to the movies. Which is why, the Professor has been kind enough to arrange a day where us boring adults can have a peaceful day at home," Miss Munroe explained.  
  
"It won't be that bad," Mr. Summers comforted, as he noted even Kurt looking a little frightened at the prospect of dealing with the younger children of the Institute for an entire day.  
  
"We're doomed," Bobby whispered to Lance. "Last year during Christmas, the children dropped Logan's Cuban cigars into acrylic paint and almost hot-wired Mr. Summers' car!"  
  
"So what, a whole day without adults," Pietro said smiling mischievously.  
  
Logan exchanged a skeptical glance with the Professor at that. "Yes that's true, Pietro, but we expect all of you to act like responsible young adults. I'm pairing you off, and giving each pair about 7 kids to watch over."  
  
"So, who's my partner?" Bobby asked casually, while his eyes found Rogue who was trying her hardest not to look at him.  
  
Mr. Summers pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Well, ordinarily I'd put you with Jubilee, but I think I'll put you with Rogue. She's responsible, and you're good with children."  
  
Rogue looked wide-eyed at Bobby whose eyes were sparkling at her. Rogue flushed and looked away confused.  
  
"Jubilee, you'll be paired with.Kurt." Jubilee's face fell, and Lance crossed his arms in disappointment. "Kitty, you'll be with Lance." Suddenly, everyone turned to Pietro. After a few seconds,  
  
"Wait a second, you're letting Pietro babysit 7 kids ALONE?" Lance protested. "I promise you, you'll never see those kids again!"  
  
"Hey, I can do it alone! I don't need anyone," Pietro said confidently.  
  
"Oh brother," Kitty muttered.  
  
"Okay, fine. New partners. Kurt, you'll be alone, and Lance you'll be with Jubilee. Kitty, your responsible, you can keep Pietro in line, can't you?" Mr. Summers asked.  
  
"You can't be serious!" Pietro protested.  
  
"So not only do I have to babysit 7 kids, but I have to babysit Pietro?" Kitty cried out.  
  
"Haha, you'll probably bore them to death!" Pietro shot back at Kitty.  
  
"After listening to you non-stop for 4 hours, they'll pray for it!" Kitty retorted.  
  
"You couldn't look after those kids without my help and you know it!" Pietro said, his blue eyes staring confidently into Kitty's brown ones.  
  
"I have my whistle, that's all I need!"  
  
"That's not the same as a man," Pietro said derisively.  
  
"Yeah, well neither are you!" Kitty countered. Pietro's jaw dropped open, but as he prepared to deliver a comeback, Logan blew shrilly with two fingers.  
  
"That's enough!"  
  
Both teens gulped at the stern look on Logan's face. "If you're both done fighting, I'd like to remind you, that you'll have to put your differences aside. Watching 7 kids is no easy task. Understand?"  
  
"Yes," Kitty and Pietro both muttered, sulkily.  
  
"Good, now we'll be leaving tomorrow around noon, so please be ready," Mr. Summers said calmly.  
  
"I can't wait," Kurt said bleakly. 


	10. midnight musings

NOTE: this chapter took awhile to write, so I'd really appreciate some reviews on it..please tell me which parts u liked or didn't like, it'd help me when I write other kietro chapters! Thanks to all those who have reviewed already! Enjoy!  
  
Kitty tiptoed through the hallway, and crept towards the living room, where the giant TV stood. Tonight, for some reason, she couldn't sleep. It must have been Mr. McCoy's quiche, Kitty thought, as she stumbled through the dark hallway. But, it was just as well, she was in the mood to curl up on the couch with a couple movies and do a little late-night snacking. Suddenly her foot struck something, and Kitty lost her balance. As she fell backwards, a pair of strong, warm arms caught her. Kitty blinked in confusion and fright. She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand covered her mouth gently.  
  
"Hey, relax Pryde, it's just me," Pietro said, holding up his hands and flicking on the light. Kitty gaped at him, and slow flush filled her cheeks as she took in how cute he looked with his hair rumpled, and how gorgeous he was when he wasn't mouthing off to her. Ugh, I CAN'T be thinking of him like that, Kitty thought horrified, and immediately snapped herself out of it.  
  
"Are you okay, Pryde?" Pietro asked impatiently, waving a hand in front of her face.  
  
"Yes I'm okay, why are you prowling around at night anyways, scaring everyone?" Kitty demanded, her hands on her hips.  
  
"I should ask you the same thing," Pietro countered, his eyes scanning over her. Kitty blushed when she realized she was wearing only an oversized t-shirt and a really old pair of shorts that showed off way too much leg. There was a moment of silence.  
  
"Ahem, well if you would just go back to bed, I can start my late- night movie marathon," Kitty replied indignantly, trying not to notice at the way Pietro was looking at her.  
  
"No chance, Pryde. I'm planning a Star-Wars marathon tonight," Pietro said, holding out a handful of videos.  
  
Kitty looked at the couch and back at Pietro who was glancing the same way. Without a word, Kitty sprinted to the couch. But of course, Pietro was already there in less than a second, laughing at her. Kitty gritted her teeth as Pietro grabbed the remote and settled into the seat. HER seat.  
  
"I was here first, Pietro!" Kitty said angrily. She realized she sounded child-like, but somehow couldn't help herself. Why does all my maturity disappear when I'm around him? Kitty thought irritated.  
  
"Au contraire, Pryde, face it, you were just too slow," Pietro said with that same irritating smug smile. "Besides, you can watch your chick flicks anytime."  
  
" They are NOT chick flicks!" Kitty retorted, and tried to grab the remote unsuccessfully from Pietro. Pietro stood up, and strided over to the coffee table and began reading off the titles of the videos sitting there.  
  
"Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, Someone Like You," Pietro read off, one by one. "Oh yeah this is a real diverse range of movies here, Kitty," Pietro finished sarcastically, looking back at her.  
  
"Those aren't mine! That's Logan's collection!" Kitty said exasperated.  
  
Pietro started laughing. "No kidding?"  
  
"Yeah," Kitty snapped. "I'm watching the Princess Bride!"  
  
"Sounds like a chick flick to me," Pietro remarked, looking at the cover of the movie. "Sorry, Pryde, the remote is mine."  
  
"First of all, my name is KITTY! And second," Kitty said, furiously trying to control her flustered emotions.  
  
"And second?" Pietro prompted, smirking at her.  
  
"There is no way your intruding on my movie night!" Kitty said, and lunged wildly for the remote that Pietro had left on the couch. Pietro grabbed it, and Kitty forgot to phase, as they collided into one another. Kitty rolled onto her stomach and spied the remote under the table. She tried unsuccessfully to get out from underneath Pietro and grab it, but he had her arms easily pinned underneath him.  
  
"You know, this is really getting us nowhere," Pietro remarked, grinning at the way Kitty kept glancing at the remote.  
  
"Could you get OFF me, maybe?"  
  
"No, I think I like the view," Pietro said, smiling down at her. Kitty flushed at the implication of his words and tried to get her mind to unscramble itself. Damn him, Kitty thought as she felt her eyes drift towards his lips. Suddenly a noise sounded upstairs. Pietro jumped off of her so quickly, that Kitty tumbled with him, forcing their heads closer together. Kitty's breath caught as she felt his lips press softly against her own for what seemed like hours.  
  
They both pulled away at the same instant, staring at each other open mouthed. Kitty finally stopped gasping for breath and found her voice. "How DARE you!"  
  
Pietro's eyes narrowed. "How DARE I?! You were the one that kissed ME!"  
  
"WHAT?! That is SUCH a lie!" Kitty spat out, getting to her feet, which were still shaky from his kiss.  
  
"For all I know, you could have PLANNED this!" Pietro retorted. Kitty's jaw dropped in indignation.  
  
"As IF! Here I am, just trying to watch some movies when you practically ATTACK me!" Kitty said angrily.  
  
"You were the one that attacked ME for the remote! You have a serious impulse control problem Pryde!"  
  
"Oh YEAH?" Kitty spat out, her cheeks flushed high with color. Pietro stepped closer.  
  
"YEAH!"  
  
Suddenly, footsteps sounded in the hallway. Kitty gasped and Pietro paled as they recognized them to be none other than Logan's. Kitty barely registered what happened next when Pietro grabbed her hand, and pulled her under the coffee table.  
  
"What are you doing?" Kitty hissed fiercely. Pietro put a finger to his lips. Kitty fell silent as she saw Logan's feet walk into the kitchen. She watched anxiously as Logan walked into the living room, stopped, and began sniffing suspiciously. Logan turned around for an instant. Pietro nodded at Kitty, grabbed her hand, and zoomed so fast past Logan, that all Kitty could feel was a breeze, almost as if she were flying.  
  
Kitty found herself in front of her room. She opened her mouth to thank him, but Pietro was already gone. Sighing softly, Kitty snuck into her room and crept under the covers. What a night, Kitty thought, touching her lips lightly. It was a mistake, that's all. Just a mistake. 


	11. laura

NOTE: hey everyone! I'm sorry it took me so long to update but the first week of college was so hectic with moving in and freshman orientation and all that. But I'm back, and I'll try to update more often. Thank you all for your kind reviews and your patience, I truly appreciate it! Again, more reviews will keep more chapters coming, enjoy!  
  
Jubilee yawned loudly as she got dressed, her nimble fingers quickly lacing her tennis shoes. She had had a long history with babysitting, and one thing was sure, if you didn't have suitable running shoes, you'd kill yourself when you inevitably ended up chasing a kid for an hour. Flipping on the radio, Jubilee let out a squeal of excitement when her favorite oldies song came on, " It's Raining Men."  
  
" The city is riiiising, the water's getting loww," Jubilee sang along, throwing a few items into her backpack. Rogue walked in, and rolled her eyes when she heard the song.  
  
"I don't know how you can listen to this crap," Rogue said, shaking her head and wincing when Jubilee turned it up.  
  
"Oh come on, it's a classic," Jubilee protested.  
  
" The song is so inane. All it talks about is strong, sweaty guys in the rain," Rogue said disgustedly, listening to the lyrics.  
  
Jubilee grinned widely. " Exactly." As Rogue turned around to leave with a short wave, Jubilee noted a little glitter on the spunky southern girl's lips. Looking closer, she gasped.  
  
" Rogue, are you wearing..lipstick?!"  
  
Rogue halted in her tracks, cheeks flaming, and crossed her arms. " No way!"  
  
Jubilee walked closer and examined her friend's face, and nodded firmly. "Yes you are! Your wearing my new raspberry lipstick, and eyeshadow too! And is that glitter on your cheeks?"  
  
" It's just the lighting in this room," Rogue said staunchly, but at Jubilee's raised eyebrow, grimaced. " Okay, okay, fine, I'm wearing a little make-up, so what's the big deal?" "But you NEVER wear make up!" Jubilee blurted out surprised. " Wait a second," Jubilee started with a mischievous glint in her eyes, " this wouldn't happen to have to do with a certain Bobby Drake..would it?"  
  
Rogue tried to scoff convincingly. "He is completely not my type, I mean, I'm serious and he's such a goof ball! And, and, even if I WAS interested in him, which I'm NOT, it'd never ever work out."  
  
" You'd be surprised, Bobby can be really serious when he wants to," Jubilee replied.  
  
" It doesn't matter, I don't like him that way," Rogue said defensively, and tried to make a quick getaway before her inquisitive friend could get her to admit more than she wanted to.  
  
" Sure Roguey, but remember, denial's not just a river in Egypt!" Jubilee called down the hall. The southern girl threw her a flustered, dirty look and ran away.  
  
Jubilee combed her hair and took a final look in the mirror. With her hair tousled, cheeks flushed a soft pink, and her blue eyes sparkling back at her, Jubilee nodded at her reflection with approval and began singing the last few lines of the song with extra enthusiasm.  
  
" But tonight, forrr the first time, just about half past ten, it's gonna start Raining MEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" Jubilee belted out, just in time to see Lance leaning against the wall looking at her with amusement. Jubilee's mouth opened and closed with astonishment, and the same heated blush flew to her cheeks. WHY WHY WHY did these things always have to happen around him! Jubilee thought miserably.  
  
" You have a great voice, Jubilee," Lance said, grinning at her. Jubilee swallowed hard, and found her voice in time to squeak out a thank you. Only he had this effect on her, around everyone else she could be the confident Jubilee, but with him..suddenly, she felt shy and giddy.  
  
" So, ready to go?"  
  
"Yeah, let me just grab my backpack," Jubilee said, flushing under his gaze. Picking up her sky blue backpack, she walked down the stairs with Lance, amidst the flurry of adults.  
  
Sudden the doorbell rang. " I'll get it," Jubilee said, and opened the door with a grin. She stopped, when she saw a girl about her age standing with a suitcase in hand, blonde hair swirling around her face. She was dressed in a neat plaid skirt, and possessed a kind of arrogant elegance.  
  
" Um, hi," Jubilee greeted uncertainly. The pretty girl gave her a chilly smile and tossed her hair with one hand.  
  
" I'm here to see Lance, is he here?" the girl asked smoothly, her voice still cold. Jubilee swallowed and stepped back, a little intimidated.  
  
" Sure, he's right here," Jubilee said finally, opening the door wider, her mind racing with questions.  
  
" Who is it Jubes?" Lance's voice sounded behind her. She heard him inhale sharply when he saw the girl. " Laura!"  
  
Jubilee watched with sinking dread as the girl smiled warmly and threw her arms possessively around his neck. Who the hell is Laura?  
  
After several long moments, the two pulled away from each other, and Lance stood back, the astonishment on his face only lessening a little. Both of them seemed to forget Jubilee was even there.  
  
" I can't believe you're here! Did you walk?" Lance asked in disbelief. Laura let out a little giggle. Jubilee watched them, her eyebrows raised. How could she be so cold one second and then so different the next?  
  
" Of course not, silly. I took a bus down here. I didn't even know you left Mystique's!"  
  
Lance looked uncomfortable for a second. " Well, I didn't exactly leave right away. Pietro and I just wandered a few months before we came here." Jubilee could tell from the look on his face that his past wasn't something he wanted to expand much upon.  
  
" Well, still you should have told me," Laura chided. " Anyways, it's sooo good to see you again, I just wanted to know how your doing!"  
  
Uh huh, sure, Jubilee thought wryly, wincing at the way Laura's arm draped confidently over Lance's. Her heart was getting heavier and heavier by the moment. Lance was too preoccupied to even realize that she was still standing there.  
  
" I'm doing good, great in fact," Lance said brightening. "Oh by the way, this is my friend Jubilee. Jubes, this is Laura Hargrove.we used to date a long time ago."  
  
" Not that long ago," Laura reminded him, with the same phony giggle. Jubilee bit her lip, trying to convince herself that she was imagining things.  
  
" Well, do you have any place to go?" Lance asked her. Laura sighed heavily.  
  
" Weell, not really, I am staying back with my aunt and uncle in a few months. But I don't have a place to stay for now," Laura said, sighing heavily again, and looking up at Lance. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was vying for an invitation. And Lance didn't disappoint.  
  
"You can stay here at the Institute. I'm sure the professor will let you," Lance suggested.  
  
" Oh noo, I couldn't POSSIBLY do that!" Laura protested weakly.  
  
" You shouldn't have to stay out on the road. I know all about what that's like, come on, the Professor should be down any minute," Lance said, leading her into the kitchen. Jubilee followed them, feeling invisible. Suddenly her outfit, of a tanktop and jeans seemed frumpy next to the polished, elegance of Laura with her plaid skirts, and shining boots. Suddenly the kitchen seemed too big for the three of them. Jubilee couldn't take it anymore.  
  
" I- I think I'll wait outside. Nice meeting you Laura," Jubilee mumbled, racing down the hallway, her good mood completely gone. Lance gave her a distracted wave, and Laura didn't even look up.  
  
While racing down the hall, she collided with Pietro who was busy stuffing batteries into his CD player. She stopped, and bit her lip hesitantly.  
  
"Pietro, can I ask you something?"  
  
Pietro looked up and shrugged. "Sure, what is it?"  
  
"How long did Lance and Laura date?" Jubilee asked quickly, fearing the answer.  
  
"About 3 years, why?"  
  
Jubilee ignored his question, trying to squelch the feelings in the pit of her stomach. " And when did they break up?"  
  
Pietro looked uncomfortable. " Actually,..they never really broke up. Laura moved away and they lost touch." But then seeing Jubilee's crestfallen expression, quickly added "But that was a long time ago, he's way over her now."  
  
But Jubilee couldn't speak, her throat was clogged with tears. Why am I about to cry over a guy I've known for 1 week? Jubilee thought, angry with herself for ever thinking she had a chance. Suddenly she heard Lance and Laura behind her. Blinking back the tears, she turned to face them with a brilliant smile.  
  
" Hey, great news Jubes. The professor's letting Laura stay with us until she can go back to her aunt's place. She's going to be coming with us to the carnival to watch the kids. She'll be a great help," Lance said, smiling warmly at Jubilee. Jubilee virtually melted at the look in his hazel eyes, but the moment was broken by Laura's crisp voice cutting in.  
  
" Yes, I've done TONS of babysitting. I know how to keep those kids in line," Laura informed her, rather haughtily.  
  
" Let's go to the cars, they're waiting out front," Lance said leading them out. Jubilee followed behind them, hardly listening while the two caught up on old times. Why did things have to go so wrong? Jubilee thought watching them sadly. 


	12. makeup trouble

NOTE: I know this chapter is really short, but I promise the next to will be way longer! Please review..pleeeeese! (do I sound whiny enough..? hehe)  
  
Rogue looked out at the sea of little faces staring back at her. "They look so sweet," Rogue remarked to Bobby. Bobby snorted.  
  
"Don't let those faces fool you. They're just waiting until Mr. Summers is out of sight, before they show their true colors." Bobby warned her. Rogue rolled her eyes and settled into a seat, blushing when her knees accidentally knocked against his. Ever since she'd dropped that embarrassing picture, Rogue had vowed she'd maintain her usual cool confident persona around him. There was no use in him finding out that, as of late, she was blushing all the time around him.  
  
"Alright, listen up everyone. Each pair will be assigned 7 children to supervise at the carnival. Some of you have never babysat before, so I'm going to give you a few helpful tips," Miss Munroe said, grinning across the room at Logan who was struggling to get out of the death grip a little girl had on his leg. "Never let them out of your sight even for a minute. Little kids are fast and get lost very easily so make sure your paying attention. Also, if you and your partner get split up, find a common meeting place. Okay, does everyone understand?"  
  
Everyone nodded and broke into chatter as children were filed into groups. Kitty walked by, her hair bouncing off her shoulders. "Oh hey Rogue," Kitty greeted, approaching them.  
  
Rogue smiled. "Hey." Kitty stopped, and began peering closer at Rogue's face. Rogue groaned inwardly. Oh god, please don't mention it, please don't mention it...  
  
"Hey! You're wearing make-up!" Kitty exclaimed, upon closer examination. Bobby's eyebrows shot up, as his blue eyes roved over her face. Rogue wanted to die.  
  
" I am most certainly NOT wearing make-up!" Rogue said hotly, trying to avoid Bobby's penetrating stare. Why was he getting better-looking all the time?  
  
" You so are! That's lipstick, and blush, and-," Kitty listed off, oblivious to the murderous looks Rogue was shooting her, much to Bobby's amusement. " Are you wearing it because of-"  
  
"Kitty, I think your partner's calling you," Rogue said, through clenched teeth. Kitty frowned and turned back to find Pietro making faces at her. She rolled her eyes.  
  
" Great, he's probably tried to brainwash them into tarring and feathering me or something," Kitty said disgustedly, and with a final wave to Rogue, walked off.  
  
"Come on let's go," Bobby said warmly, and reached a hand out to help her up. Rogue stared at it, her cheeks flaming. " I won't bite, I promise..unless you want me to," Bobby said cheekily. Rogue swallowed hard and stood up.  
  
" I assure you that won't be happening," Rogue said, as calmly as she could, and fled off in the direction of the children, feeling his eyes on her back the whole way. 


	13. troubles in babysitting

NOTE: hey everyone, I only wrote one chapter today because this one was pretty long, and I didn't have time to write more. Oh, to answer the questions on the review board (p.s. Thank YOU! I love reading them!), Laura is a mutant who knew Lance before. You'll find out her power probably in the next chapter. Hope you guys like this chapter! Please rate and review!  
  
  
  
Kitty stood at the entrance to the carnival, armed with her babysitting manual and a backpack. She stared a little nervously at the cluster of kids that were impatiently scurrying around eyeing the rides and the candy stands eagerly. She checked her watch. Why was Pietro always late? Kitty rolled her eyes, and decided she might as well learn the kids' names. She didn't need her slacker partner anyways.  
  
"Ahem, children, I am Kitty Pryde, and me and my partner Pietro Maximoff will be your babysitters for today. Can we go around in a circle and have you all introduce yourselves?" Kitty asked kindly. The children stared back at her as if she'd suddenly asked them to eat mud. Okay, this isn't working, Kitty thought, biting her lip. "Alright, how about we-,"  
  
" I want candy!" a young boy with reddish hair bellowed. The prompted a chorus of similar requests.  
  
" Shut up Davy, you always want to eat!" a little girl next to him said rather derisively.  
  
"You shut up!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"SHUT UP!" The little girl burst into tears and Davy, somewhat perplexed at the situation, sat down on the ground and punched the kid next to him. Of course, the boy began screaming. Kitty swallowed hard and backed away. She could handle a few kids, but 7?! That was cruel. Where is he?! Kitty thought furiously, as she knelt down to give some tissues to the still- bawling girl. The girl tugged at the tissues so suddenly that Kitty felt herself being jerked forward, and heard fabric tearing.  
  
Looking down, Kitty saw that her new jeans had a hole in one knee. "Great, just great," Kitty muttered. "I wonder if I can get workers compensation for this."  
  
Suddenly out of nowhere, Pietro appeared, looking cool and confident in a navy polo shirt and khaki shorts. Kitty fumed, as he took his sweet time in walking over. Why does he look so perfect, when I probably look like I've been dragged through the mud?  
  
"Problems, already?"  
  
" How nice of you to grace us with your presence," Kitty said through clenched teeth, feeling her cheeks grow hot at the grin he gave her.  
  
"What's wrong, you look upset," Pietro asked, stepping closer. He actually looked concerned. Kitty felt her heart flutter strangely, but then stepped back, furious all over again.  
  
"What's wrong? Okay, I'll tell you what's wrong! We have 7 kids to look after and I've had to deal with them for close to a half an hour, ALONE! What exactly were you doing? Trying out new hairstyles?" Kitty asked hotly. Pietro's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Just because YOU can't handle some kids, doesn't mean you have to take it out on me! Instead of denying your incompetence, you should try to come to terms with it," Pietro said smoothly. Kitty forced herself to take a deep breath.  
  
"I'm incompetent? I guess you haven't taken a good look in the mirror have you? Oh wait, that's right, I forgot that's all you do lately! Can you stop admiring yourself for one second and act responsible?!"  
  
"Being responsible doesn't mean you have to be boring!" Pietro retorted. "I can handle these kids no problem. Watch and learn, Pryde." With that, Pietro stalked off and returned seconds later, with arms full of ice cream cones. Kitty watched open-mouthed as he handed each kid a cone, and helped the little girl that had been crying, to her feet. She took the cone from him and beamed.  
  
"I'm Suzy," she ventured, giving Pietro a gap-toothed grin. Pietro smiled back at her and shook her hand.  
  
"I'm Pietro."  
  
The children had all mysteriously fallen silent, each absorbed with the task of eating. "You're the coolest Pietro!" Davy burst out, after he had finished. He wiped his sticky mouth with the sleeve of his shirt and beamed up at Pietro.  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe it. All Pietro had done was get them ice cream and now they were treating him like a demi-god. Oh sure, he may LOOK like a god, especially last night with his hair tousled and his eyes gleaming...Kitty shook herself, blushing at her thoughts .What is wrong with me? Kitty chided.  
  
"See, it's easy," Pietro said, walking up to her.  
  
"Right," Kitty said dryly. Wait a few hours, and see if you feel the same way, Kitty thought, hiding a small smile.  
  
An hour or two passed with Pietro frequently becoming distracted at the sight of a pretty girl walking by, leaving Kitty to deal with the children, who were getting more disruptive by the minute. The ice cream had served to make them hyper, and Kitty wished she had a leash to keep them, and Pietro, close by. Whenever Pietro did reappear every few minutes, he'd treat the children to more treats; candied apples, cotton candy, popcorn, and long sticks of licorice. And they loved him for it.  
  
"They're going to be sick if you keep stuffing them with sugar," Kitty told him. Pietro scoffed.  
  
"Please Pryde, not of all of us can live off green beans and tofu. These kids need to have SOME fun, even if you're here. Now if you'll excuse me-,"  
  
"If you disappear on me one more time, I swear Pietro, I'll maim you!" Kitty threatened, losing the last of her patience but Pietro had already gone to talk to a tall blonde with a sickeningly phony smile. Kitty could practically feel the steam coming out of her ears. This was the last straw. He had to be the most irresponsible, arrogant-!  
  
"We're going to go talk to Pietro okay?" Kitty told the children. At the mention of their idol's name, the kids nodded and followed her as she stalked over to where Pietro was standing, in full on flirt-mode.  
  
"So you just dived into the ocean and saved her?" the blonde asked Pietro, awe-struck. Pietro nodded. "Wow, that is like so amazing!"  
  
"Ahem, Pietro," Kitty said through clenched teeth. Pietro barely looked up. The blonde gave her and the kids a curious glance. "Pietro, the kids need you," Kitty repeated.  
  
"Are all those yours?" the blonde asked disbelievingly to Pietro. Pietro opened his mouth to answer but Kitty quickly cut him off.  
  
"Yes, I'm his wife, and these are our kids," Kitty said with a perfectly straight face. Pietro's face went bright red. The blonde gave them him a weird look.  
  
"You should be looking after them," the blonde said. "Like, that's totally uncool." "Yes, he always neglects them, it's so sad," Kitty replied, a regretful look on her face, trying to muffle the urge to giggle hysterically. Pietro was looking murderously at her. The blonde waved and took off. As soon as she left, Pietro turned on her furiously.  
  
"What was THAT!"  
  
Kitty couldn't answer, the laughter that she'd suppressed came up in full force and laughed until she could feel tears starting in her eyes. Pietro watched her, his hands crossed in front of his chest.  
  
"I was about to get a date with her until-until you told her that I was a DAD!" Pietro spit out the word.  
  
"Daddy!" one of the children yelled helpfully. This only served to set Kitty off again. She staggered to a bench and sat down, giggling.  
  
Pietro sat down next to her, his eyes changing as he looked at her trying to control her laughter. "What am I going to do with you Pryde?" he said softly. Kitty stopped laughing, her mouth went dry. Her mind flashed back to last night, and she felt herself leaning into him. His eyes were getting bluer and bluer as their faces got closer.  
  
Suddenly, Suzy bounded up to them. "What are you guys DOING?"  
  
The both jumped back, Kitty stood up blushing fiercely. "Nothing!"  
  
Pietro looked at her and smirked. "I don't know, but it sure looked like you were trying to kiss me."  
  
Kitty's jaw dropped open with outrage and embarrassment. Ugh, my mind must be scrambled. I will never think of Pietro THAT way, Kitty vowed, shooting him the dirtiest look she could muster.  
  
"He's mine," Suzy informed her staunchly. Pietro muffled a laugh at the look on Kitty's face.  
  
"Don't worry, you can have him. I wouldn't date him if he and Richard Simmons were the last two guys on earth!" Kitty retorted.  
  
"Oh really Pryde? Are you sure you aren't secretly lusting after me?" Pietro asked, the smirk still firmly in place.  
  
Kitty crossed her arms. "Sure in your dreams and my nightmares."  
  
"As long as you admit it."  
  
Kitty and Pietro faced off, their eyes sparking anger.  
  
The children watched the exchange with interest, and Kitty snapped back to reality. She wasn't exactly making a great role model by fighting with her partner.  
  
"Look, we call a temporary truce until this day is over. The kids won't respect us if we keep arguing," Kitty whispered to him after a moment. Pietro cast a glance at her.  
  
"Speak for yourself, I already have their respect," Pietro said confidently.  
  
"Oh yes, that's right...they really look up to you. Almost as if you were their..FATHER," Kitty replied sweetly, placing emphasis on the last word. Pietro glared at her.  
  
"You're treading on thin ice, Pryde."  
  
"Good, let's hope you fall through," Kitty replied smoothly and strode ahead. Round one was over, and she had won. Now let's just see if I can get through the rest of the day, Kitty thought, already feeling the makings of a headache coming on. 


	14. third wheel

NOTE: hehe, jeez, sorry to take SO long to update, but I've written three looong chapters, so hopefully that makes up for it. Thank you all SO much for your awesome reviews, u guys are the best! I'm glad u like it so far! Neways, Rate and reviews, and enjoy!  
  
"Remember the time, we went hiking, and I sprained my ankle, and you had to carry me all the way back to camp?" Laura asked, throwing a flirty look in Lance's direction.  
  
Jubilee stifled the urge to wrap her scarf around Laura's throat, and instead settled for busying herself with the task of wiping ice cream off a young girl's cheek. During the full hour that they'd been at the carnival, Laura had done everything to exclude Jubilee from the conversation, usually by starting her monologues with "Remember the time."  
  
I am NOT jealous, I am NOT jealous, Jubilee chanted to herself, looking up longingly at Lance's handsome profile. Laura had successfully monopolized all of Lance's time, so that he'd barely exchanged more than a few words with Jubilee since the trip had started.  
  
Jubilee examined Lance's face to try and gage his feelings but found it a mystery. He didn't seem BORED exactly, rather detached. He wasn't as relaxed or laughing as he was with Jubilee. And he didn't seem to share nearly as many common interests with Laura as he had with her. But what did all that matter in the end? Jubilee knew that boys rarely picked girlfriends based on how well they got along with them...most boys, anyways. Why should Lance be any different? Laura was elegant, confident, and probably didn't make a habit of running into boys' showers or crashing into donut shops. And although Jubilee knew that with her long raven black hair and sparkling blue eyes, she could hold her own in the looks department, Laura seemed to have that all-American blonde beauty down to a science.  
  
Laura's phony laugh burst the air followed by Lance's deeper chuckles. Jubilee swallowed her misery, wondering if she looked as pathetic as she felt, with 7 kids surrounding her while Lance and Laura walked ahead, looking like the perfect couple.  
  
"Oh no, don't worry about me, I'm doing great," Jubilee muttered sarcastically, as she felt her bag give way and the contents spill out.  
  
"Did you say something, Jubilee?" Laura asked snootily, stopping briefly to throw her a contemptuous look.  
  
Yeah, you're a cow, Jubilee thought, kneeling down to pick up her belongings. Lance rushed to help her as did several of the kids. Jubilee smiled as a little boy chased her water bottle that had rolled a few feet away. They were a handful, but were undoubtedly adorable. Lance seemed to share her sentiment as they watched the boy retrieve the bottle and hand it to her proudly.  
  
"Thank you, James," Jubilee said sincerely. James beamed at her. Laura rolled her eyes.  
  
"I don't know what the big deal is. All he did was get your water bottle," Laura said derisively, adjusting her sunglasses so they perched above her head. Which is a heck of a lot more than you've done today, Jubilee thought silently, exchanging a look with Lance. Lance was frowning at Laura, as if puzzled by her comment.  
  
Jubilee suddenly let out a little squeal of delight when she saw the New Orleans Orbital. She hadn't ridden on that since she'd been a kid. She looked up to see Lance grinning at the expression on her face. "I love this ride!" Jubilee exclaimed, watching the little cars spin around in a circle faster and faster. The little kids clamored with excitement as well. "I'm going to go, anyone want to come with me?"  
  
"Oh please, I would think at this age, one would be above doing such juvenile things as carnival rides," Laura scoffed. Jubilee struggled to hold her temper, feeling her cheeks warm up. Once again, Laura had managed to make her look like an immature, unsophisticated kid.  
  
"Actually, I'd love to go with you," Lance said, grinning at Jubilee, who brightened instantly. Laura's lips tightened instantly.  
  
"Can you manage the kids while we're gone?" Jubilee asked her.  
  
"Of course. I can handle anything," Laura informed her coolly. Lance took Jubilee's hand and helped her into the car. Jubilee sighed happily as the ride began to pick up pace, and Laura's unpleasant expression became smaller and smaller.  
  
The pressure of Lance's hand against her own, and the wind whipping her hair, made the ride even better, and when it slowed to a stop, Jubilee let out a small sigh of disappointment. "That was fun," Lance whispered to her, as if it were their little secret. Jubilee nodded at him, and they walked off the ride, both grinning happily.  
  
The first thing they saw was Laura yelling at one of the boys. Jubilee exchanged an anxious look with Lance and rushed over to see what was the matter.  
  
Laura was so worked up; it took her a second to realize that they were watching her.  
  
"What happened?" Jubilee asked anxiously, trying to comfort the little boy who had promptly burst into tears at being yelled at.  
  
"What happened is that little brat broke my $150 Calvin Klein sunglasses!" Laura bit out, scowling at the boy, and pointing in outrage at her cracked glasses on the floor. Jubilee.  
  
" It was an accident!" bawled the boy, hiccupping.  
  
"Laura, I'm sure he feels bad about it. You can get a new pair when Mr. Summers takes us shopping next week," Lance suggested. Laura gave him a saccharine-coated smile.  
  
"What an excellent idea, Lance," Laura cooed. Jubilee watched in amazement, as the previous furious girl turned into the untouchable ice princess once again. "I'm going to go fix my hair," Laura informed them, throwing one last acid look at Jubilee before disappearing.  
  
Then tension soon melted, and Jubilee and Lance glanced shyly at each other. "Want to go play a game, while she's gone?" Lance suggested. Jubilee nodded, and they rushed off to the nearest coin-toss booth. Jubilee glanced over at Lance as he paid for the game, wishing it had been just them on the trip. 


	15. a talk

NOTE: more reviews please!  
  
It was growing relatively dark and cold, and Rogue shivered slightly. The next instant, she felt Bobby's jacket placed firmly about her shoulders. Rogue thanked him quietly, wondering to herself just how many acts of chivalry he planned to commit before the end of the day.  
  
"Rogue, I want to tell you something..," Bobby said seriously. Rogue stopped, at the tone in his voice. This had to be the first time all day he'd been serious. Even more than the kids, Bobby had had enjoyed the carnival most of all. He was excellent with the children, Rogue admitted to herself, charming them with magic tricks and jokes that made even her giggle. The more she wanted to deny it, the less she was able to: Bobby, with all his corny jokes and cheeky humor was growing on her. Rogue had tried desperately to deny it. After all, this was BOBBY. She couldn't actually be dumb enough to think they could have a relationship, especially with the kind of track record he had. Bobby was famous for having a series of short, meaningless romances, with silly girls who expected nothing more from him.  
  
Rogue knew she wasn't like that. She had never fallen in love, and had only 1 crush. It had been when she was 14, and had ended in disaster. The first boy she had kissed had ended up in a coma. She was tough to everyone, but knew she was too vulnerable inside, to leave her heart open to him.  
  
"Um, what is it?" Rogue heard herself asking, despite her inner monologue. Something in his eyes startled her and made her feel warm and shaky inside. She knew if she heard what he had to say she'd be lost, and her resolve to remain just friends with him would disappear.  
  
Rogue was saved from his answer by the children's loud complaints for food. Bobby sighed. "Sure, almost all the vendors are closing up, but I think the hot dog stand is open for another 15 minutes," Rogue said quickly, avoiding Bobby's intense gaze, and dashing off to get the food.  
  
Bobby joined her minutes later, helping her hand out the hot dog, and aiding the children in putting on their sweaters. After a second he turned to her, the same serious look returning to his sparkling blue eyes. Rogue felt her stomach flip and she struggled to get a hold of herself. Desperation filled her as she realized she knew what he was going to say.  
  
"Ooh, cotton candy!" a little girl named Andrea squealed, startling the vendor who was trying to lock up. Rogue flashed Bobby an apologetic look and chased after the little girl, relieved. She managed to convince the vendor to sell them one more. When she got back, Bobby took her hand firmly in his.  
  
Rogue felt ridiculously giddy. Okay, calm Rogue. You are not supposed to be feeling like this, Rogue told herself sternly. "Rogue, we really need to talk, here come with me," Bobby said, pointing to the direction of the haunted house.  
  
"It's probably closed, I mean, the carnival is almost over anyways. Besides, we can't leave the kids alone," Rogue protested. But Bobby looked determined to have his talk. His eyes latched onto Kurt who was stumbling by, looking miserable.  
  
"Bobby, no," Rogue warned. But Bobby had already dashed off.  
  
"Kurt, I'm going to show Rogue the haunted house. Can you load the kids into the bus? If we run a little late, we'll just catch the next bus, okay? Thanks," Bobby finished in a rush, depositing the kids at Kurt's feet and running back to Rogue. Kurt looked bewildered.  
  
"Hey, wait a second!" Kurt protested, when he realized what had happened. But Bobby had already grabbed Rogue's gloved hand and was leading her away.  
  
Rogue sighed, muffling back a giggle at the glare the usually good- humored Kurt shot them.  
  
Bobby rushed them to the entrance of the haunted house, to find the man locking the door. "Wait, wait a second. Can we please just go in there?" Bobby asked pleadingly. The man frowned.  
  
"The carnival's closing in 10 minutes and I have to get home, sorry kids," the man said. But Bobby was insistent. Rogue hid a smile. Bobby's fascination with haunted houses was so childish it was almost endearing.  
  
"Please, you can go home. We'll close up for you. We don't come here very often," Bobby pleaded. The man hesitated, than smiled relenting.  
  
"Alright, here's the key to get out, have a good night," the man said, handing over a small golden key to Bobby and walking off.  
  
They entered the dark enclosed space, and the door shut and locked behind them with a click. Rogue grimaced at the cobwebs. "Ugh, I never got the appeal of haunted houses. They're so creepy, I don't really like the dark."  
  
"Actually, I'm not too crazy about them either..I just wanted to talk to you alone, it seems this was the only place I could find," Bobby said, flashing a cheeky grin at her. Rogue was glad it was too dark for him to see her blush. "I guess what I wanted to say was..I like you, Rogue. A lot."  
  
Rogue closed her eyes, feeling the conflicted emotions well up in her. "I'm-I'm flattered, Bobby, really I am. But, the most we could ever be is friends," Rogue said, feeling the words stick in her throat.  
  
"Why?" was Bobby's quiet response.  
  
"I just don't feel the same about you," Rogue lied, feeling horrible. I'm doing what's best for both of us, Rogue tried to tell herself. In a few weeks, Bobby would thank her and realize that they were too different to be ever end up together.  
  
"I don't think that's true, Rogue," Bobby said finally, breaking the silence between them. "I just think you're afraid to try."  
  
"That's not true!" Rogue said hotly, feeling annoyed at how accurately he'd pinpointed her emotions.  
  
"It is! You have to understand I care about you, I won't hurt you," Bobby said, his eyes warm in the darkness. Rogue had to force herself to turn away. She couldn't hear this. Not now.  
  
"Look, it wouldn't work out. Now, you wanted to talk. And now we have, so I'm leaving," Rogue said stubbornly and tried to stalk away. Bobby took her wrist firmly but gently. Rogue tried to wrench her arm away, and succeeded in toppling backward into him, knocking them both into the row of cardboard boxes stacked in the side. Rogue got up, trying not to notice how wonderful it felt to be nestled under Bobby's chin, with his arms around her...  
  
Rogue was on her feet instantly, fighting the heat in her cheeks. Bobby stood up as well. "Rogue please, listen to me."  
  
"Look, you don't understand. You couldn't possibly. Now let me go," Rogue said, horrified to feel her eyes prick with tears. Bobby sighed.  
  
"Fine," Bobby said, reaching into his pocket. Rogue waited, avoiding his eyes. After a few minutes, she looked up to see an anxious expression on Bobby's face.  
  
"What's wrong?" Rogue demanded worriedly.  
  
Bobby emptied his pockets frantically and looked up to meet her eyes. "The key is gone." 


	16. mixed signals

NOTE: hey, a lot of you guys are asking for more kietro, and I'm always happen to oblige since I LOVE writing kietro most of all, so I wrote this really long chapter about our favorite couple! Hope you guys like it...please review it as well, I want to know what you guys thought of it. Thank you! Enjoy!  
  
Kitty gritted her teeth as Pietro gave Suzy her third ice-cream cone. "You're going to make them sick!" Kitty yelled at him when he got back. He gave her a scathing glance.  
  
"Relax, would you? It's only her third one! When I was a kid, I used to eat dozens," Pietro informed her.  
  
"Yes, and we all know how you turned out," Kitty muttered. The wind was picking up, and her hair broke free of her pony tail, swirling around her face. Pietro stopped, and looked at her. Kitty picked up the hair tie to try and fix her hair.  
  
"No wait, leave it. It looks good down," Pietro said seriously. Kitty flushed hotly, so shocked at the compliment that the hair tie fell to the floor once again. She was determined not to answer him. Why was it that every time she'd convinced herself she'd never forgive him, he'd do something or say something that threw her totally off guard?  
  
The kids had been especially boisterous the past half hour, since the carnival was going to be closing soon, they were determined to go on every last ride. It didn't help that Kitty had been left doing most of the babysitting, while Pietro was being idolized because he was constantly buying the children candy, thereby winning their affections. And Suzy had officially declared that she was going to marry Pietro, winning a charming smile from him.  
  
Kitty scowled. I am NOT jealous of a five year old girl, I am NOT jealous, Kitty repeated to herself. It was getting harder and harder for Kitty to convince herself that what she felt for Pietro was an insane, completely random fleeting attraction, bound to disappear soon enough. Whenever she was thrown together with him, they could hardly agree on anything. So WHY was she fantasizing about him? It just didn't make any sense, Kitty thought furious at herself.  
  
They passed a row of shirt vendors, all selling unbelievably short pink halter tops. All of the other souvenir shirt vendors had closed except this one, obviously trying to unload the gaudy merchandise to any of the remaining carnival goers. "You want to get one Kitty?" Pietro asked her, smirking at her. Kitty flushed.  
  
"I wouldn't be caught dead in something so-so," Kitty struggled to find a word other than "slutty". "Revealing," Kitty retorted finally.  
  
"Really," Pietro said almost philosophically as if he didn't believe her.  
  
"It looks more like something Stacy would wear.in winter," Kitty couldn't help adding, cursing herself because she knew she sounded jealous. Pietro, observant as ever, grinned.  
  
"Now, now Kitty, no need to lash out because you're a prude," Pietro said grinning, knowing it would send Kitty over the edge.  
  
Kitty sent him a murderous look, and strode purposefully towards the next ride, New Orleans Orbits.  
  
"I wanna go!" Suzy burst out, her hair flipping out. The other children shook their heads vehemently, looking a little frightened. Kitty bit her lip, admitting she herself was a little scared at the way the tiny cars spun faster and faster in a dizzying circle.  
  
"I don't think it's such a good idea, after all you've eaten Suzy," Kitty told the little girl a little apologetically. Suzy wailed loudly.  
  
"Jeez Pryde, give the lecturing a rest! Of course you can go," Pietro told Suzy with a smile. The little girl brightened and began extolling his praises. Kitty struggled to get a hold of her tempter. There he went AGAIN, making HER out to be the tough unrelenting taskmaster, while he managed to win over all the children by being totally irresponsible. "I'll take you, since Kitty's obviously scared of this ride," Pietro said, giving Kitty a knowing look.  
  
Kitty bristled. "I am not scared! I'll take her," Kitty said coolly, and took Suzy's hand and climbed onto the ride, trying to calm her flustered nerves. The ride began, and Kitty closed her eyes as it spun. The ride seemed to last hours. Finally when it slowed to a stop, she couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief. She looked over at Suzy, and frowned with worry when she realized that the little girl was holding her stomach and groaning.  
  
"Are you okay?" Kitty asked concernedly, leaning closer.  
  
"I don't...feel so good," Suzy said, looking green. And suddenly, almost in slow motion, Suzy threw up all over her shirt. Kitty was so shocked, she barely registered what had happened until she looked down and found that her favorite T-shirt was covered in disgusting barf. Great, Kitty thought groaning inwardly, a horrible end to a horrible day.  
  
Suzy began wailing. "I ruined your shirt!"  
  
Kitty patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry. It's not your fault," Kitty said, forcing a small smile to assure Suzy. We all know whose fault this is, Kitty thought fuming, as she got off the ride, ready to kill Pietro.  
  
Pietro's jaw dropped when Kitty climbed down the steps, his eyes widening when he saw the stain on her shirt. "What happened to you!"  
  
"Unless you've gone BLIND, I think it's pretty obvious what happened!" Kitty said, through clenched teeth.  
  
"Whoah, I think you'd better get that shirt off," Pietro said, shaking his head. Kitty swallowed, and realized he was right. She couldn't wait to get out of it, she'd rather die than endure a long bus ride with a barf-stained T-shirt. She could only imagine what Pietro would have to say about that.  
  
Kitty threw him a murderous glare and stalked to the shirt vendor they had passed earlier. She grimaced in disgust at how short the pink tops were but reminded herself that atleast they were clean. "I'll take one," Kitty said tersely, gnashing her teeth as she handed over a ten dollar bill. She took the shirt and stalked into the bathroom to change. She emerged from the bathroom, trying unsuccessfully to tug the shirt to cover her stomach. I feel like an idiot, Kitty thought furiously, wincing at her image in the mirror  
  
Pietro whistled when Kitty came out his eyes admiring. "I thought you said you'd die before you wore one of those."  
  
Kitty turned on him, her brown eyes flashing. "This is all your fault!"  
  
"Hey I'M not the one that threw up all over you!" Pietro retorted.  
  
"You were the one that had to give Suzy about 900 pounds of junk! And then send her on the most nauseating ride in the carnival afterwards! THAT was just brilliant!" Kitty yelled, throwing her hands up in the air.  
  
Pietro's blue eyes flashed with anger. "It's always MY fault! I was just trying to show them a good time, since you obviously don't know what THAT is!"  
  
Kitty could feel herself losing control fast. "You are so completely irresponsible! If you hadn't tried to turn this whole babysitting thing into one big popularity contest, maybe I wouldn't be standing here in this STUPID shirt!"  
  
"Right, you just can't handle the fact that the kids like me better! You need to stop being so immature!" Pietro shot back.  
  
That did it. Kitty felt her cheeks flush with anger. "That's it! I can't stand to be around you a second longer! If your such a GREAT babysitter, you can watch them for the last ten minutes the carnival's open, unless you think you can't do that without SCREWING up!"  
  
"I can handle it just fine!" Pietro bit out angrily.  
  
"GOOD!" Kitty spat out, turning on her heel. She stalked away from them in the other direction, feeling the ridiculous urge to cry. I hate him, Kitty thought angrily. But even thinking it, she knew it wasn't true. Why did he have to be so infuriating?  
  
Kitty wandered off to a secluded area of the carnival, thankful that it was deserted, and she could think in peace. She shivered as the wind picked up, cursing herself for not bringing a jacket. Suddenly her ears pricked up by a noise near her. Kitty's eyes widened as she noticed an unruly gang of boys in leather jackets hanging near the fence, laughing raucously.  
  
Kitty got up, hoping to leave before they noticed her. But unfortunately, her anklet let out a small tinkling sound as she moved, and her presence was noticed immediately by the gang. In minutes, they had surrounded her.  
  
"Hey girlie, what's your name?" one of the boys jeered at her, his eyes scanning her halter top. Kitty's lip curled in disgust.  
  
"None of your business you inbred loser," Kitty retorted, relieved to find that her voice didn't shake. Her comment sent off a round of boisterous laughter.  
  
"This one's feisty," the boy said, laughing to his friends. Kitty's hands balled into fists. The way she was feeling now, they had better not mess with her. She knew that with Logan's intense training in the Danger Room, she could take all 7 of the guys out.  
  
One boy got closer, and tried to grab her, but Kitty gave him a swift kick to his shins, sending him off howling in pain. Emitting a grunt of anger, he swung at her wildly, but Kitty phased easily.  
  
"Get her!" the leader of the gang order angrily. Kitty glared at them, confident, and waited. Suddenly, almost in a blur, something white flashed before her eyes, and in seconds, all the guys were lying on the floor groaning in pain. Kitty's jaw dropped open, as she felt, herself being picked up and carried so fast that she felt as if she were actually floating. When she found herself standing still, Kitty opened her eyes, slightly dazed, to find Pietro gazing at her with a mixture of concern and anger. His hands moved super fast over her to make sure she wasn't hurt. Then,  
  
"What the hell did you think you were DOING!" Pietro demanded, his arms folded in front of his broad chest. Kitty felt anger rush through her. What had SHE been doing?!  
  
"Trying to defend myself, and doing a damn good job of it too, before YOU showed up!" Kitty replied hotly.  
  
"There were 7 guys there! God knows what could have happened to you!" Pietro yelled at her.  
  
"I was handling myself JUST fine, thank you very much! Why did you come anyways?!" Kitty asked angrily.  
  
Pietro's eyes were sparking with anger. "I had just finished loading the kids in the bus when I went to go find you! Your really a piece of work, Pryde, I'm gone 10 minutes, and already your in a life-threatening situation!"  
  
Kitty could practically feel the steam coming from her ears. "I'm not some damsel in distress that needs YOUR help!" Kitty spat out, rubbing her arms and shivering as the wind swirled around them. Pietro shrugged off his jacket and put it around her. Kitty tried to protest, but the look on his face silenced her.  
  
"You should have called for me, as SOON as you saw them!" Pietro said furiously, resuming the argument.  
  
"I don't need your help, Pietro! And what do you care anyways!" Kitty yelled.  
  
"Of course I care!" Pietro shot out, his blue eyes sparking with anger.  
  
"No you don't!"  
  
"Yes, I do!"  
  
Suddenly, Kitty felt his arms circle around her and pull her close, kissing her so passionately, she almost couldn't breathe, didn't want to breathe. An eternity seemed to pass, before they both pulled away, gasping. Kitty looked up at him, her eyes tumultuous. Then shaking her head wordlessly, she fled as fast as she could back to the bus without a look back, her heart thudding against her chest. 


	17. three's companynot

NOTE: okay, don't hate me please! I seriously didn't have time this week to write anything, and this chapter, especially was hard to write. I guess I had a major case of writer's block, so please tell me if you like this chapter or if it sucked. Thank you for your patience everyone, I'm going to try my hardest to update more regularly! Enjoy..  
  
Jubilee's eyebrows lifted as she saw Lance expertly throw each coin neatly into the bottle. The man behind the booth reached up to grab a giant pink giraffe and handed it to Lance, who handed it to Jubilee with a smile.  
  
"You're giving this to me?" Jubilee asked, at a loss for words.  
  
Lance grinned. "Of course." Jubilee couldn't remember the last time any guy had won her anything. Clearing her throat to squelch the urge to hug him, Jubilee looked up mischievously at Lance.  
  
"Well, if you won something for me, than I have to win something for you," Jubilee said staunchly.  
  
Lance grinned. "I thought I heard Bobby say earlier that you couldn't hit the floor if it weren't for gravity."  
  
Jubilee put away a mental reminder to break her best friend's legs when she got home. "That is completely untrue. I have really good aim," Jubilee said quickly. Actually, she wasn't sure if she did or not...all she knew was that the last time she had tried archery, Logan had ended up with an arrow through his beer. That couldn't be good, could it?  
  
Jubilee confidently strutted up to the booth and picked one of the coins. Then with a brilliant smile towards Lance, she let it fly. She watched in horror as the penny ricocheted off 3 bottles, bounced off the canopy and rolled into the nearby crack in the floor. The man behind the counter started laughing as did Lance. Great, Jubilee thought scowling. Yet another chance to impress Lance ruined.  
  
"Hmph. I still have two more pennies left. I'll win something," Jubilee said stubbornly, picking up the second penny.  
  
"Jubes, I'm not going to pine away if I don't get a stuffed giraffe," Lance interjected smiling. Jubilee shook her head at him and took aim, and threw the penny extra hard at the row of bottles in front. The penny hit the bottle so hard, it knocked it off the table, and shattered on the floor. Jubilee covered her face with her hands.  
  
"I give up. I can't do it," Jubilee said morosely, and picking up the last penny, half heartedly flipped it. To her astonishment, the penny fell neatly into the bottle. Lance's jaw dropped open.  
  
"You did it, nice job," Lance said, squeezing her hand. Jubilee felt dizzy with elation. So what if her winning the coin toss had been a complete fluke, Lance was holding HER hand, he didn't think that she was a total klutz, he liked her , he..  
  
"Hey, there Lance," the grating voice of Laura broke through Jubilee's dreamy haze. Once again, reality continues to ruin my life, Jubilee thought, as Laura draped one long tanned arm on Lance and practically yanked him away from her. It was amazing how fast the good mood she had been feeling just minutes ago, could be sucked out with Laura's presence. Jubilee swallowed and closed her eyes. How could she have been so stupid as to think that just because she had won a dumb carnival game, it would keep Lance from picking her over the perfect Laura. Laura who had never really broken up with Lance, and was back to claim him again.  
  
But to her surprise, Lance was back at her side in seconds. "So, what'd you pick out for me?"  
  
"Huh?" Jubilee asked confused. Then her eyes sparkled as he gestured to the long row of stuffed animals. Laughing, she pointed to a large purple hippo, and smirked as Lance very seriously held the hippo.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Your welcome."  
  
Jubilee felt her stomach do a flip as Lance looked deep into her eyes. Jubilee swallowed hard. The moment was shattered when Laura stalked over to them, her eyes flashing angrily. As Lance turned towards her, Laura's face instantly turned angelic.  
  
"Lance, I was wondering if we could go get something to eat?" Laura asked sweetly, her eyes glaring murderously at the stuffed animal in Jubilee's hands.  
  
"Sure of course," Lance said, smiling. Jubilee looked up at him, wondering if all guys were this dense. Had he totally missed the look Laura had flashed her? Or was she the one who was imagining things? Jubilee gathered the kids who were clustered around the vending machines. She got them each a drink, and when she had finished, joined Lance and Laura at the diner-style eatery.  
  
Jubilee settled in comfortably into a plush stool and spun around, to find Laura watching her with a little sneer on her lips. She stopped, realizing she must look like a little kid. How could she hope to compete with Laura if she had to censure her every action in order to avoid looking stupid in front of Lance?  
  
"Does anyone want to split a chocolate milkshake with me?" Jubilee asked finally, her heart thumping as Lance met her eyes swiftly with a smile.  
  
"No thanks, I'll have a mineral water and a salad. There's no reason to be careless about calories," Laura informed her coolly, patting her perfectly flat stomach. Jubilee rolled her eyes. Calories? She was lucky to be one of the few people to stuff her face constantly and still be viewed as a "lightweight." Jubilee shrugged. If Laura wanted to deprive herself, then who was she to argue?  
  
"Hey, I'll share with you," Lance said, as he placed their orders. Jubilee grinned, for once being able to completely ignore Laura in all her perfection. When the shake came, Lance put in two straws, and Jubilee shyly leaned in to take a sip, accidentally bumping heads with him. They both laughed at the same time and set the milkshake on the table. Lance leaned back, and gestured for her to go first. Jubilee suppressed a smile, and was about to move in, when a sudden movement of Laura knocked her forward, and Jubilee watched in horror, as Laura's arm shot out and pushed the contents of the milkshake all over Jubilee.  
  
For a second, Jubilee couldn't quite comprehend what had happened. Then, glancing down at the chocolate dripping down her shirt and pants, and the barely suppressed triumphant look in Laura's eyes, confirmed what had occurred.  
  
"Oh my, I'm so clumsy! Are you alright?" Laura cooed, making a big show of getting up and grabbing napkins. "Let me help you."  
  
Jubilee was so disgusted at her underhandedness that for a second she couldn't speak. "Please, don't do me any favors," Jubilee said, feeling a rush of anger. This was going too far. Of all the petty, immature stunts to pull! And in front of the children they were supposed to be babysitting!  
  
"Jubilee, she's just trying to help," Lance said, frowning as he noticed the furious way Jubilee was swiping the chocolate off her shirt, and only succeeding in rubbing it in further.  
  
"Yeah, Jubilee, it was an accident," Laura cooed again, making her eyes wide and innocent.  
  
"Accident, my foot! You did it on purpose, I saw you!" Jubilee seethed, trying to keep her voice from rising, feeling a hot flush work its way up her neck as she saw Lance frown even more.  
  
"Jubilee, I can't believe you would say something like that. I thought you were more mature than to make crazy accusations," Lance said in a very disappointed way. Jubilee could feel herself losing control, and she didn't care. Lance thought SHE was immature!  
  
"I'm serious Lance, I saw her push it on me," Jubilee said, her eyes pleading with him to believe her.  
  
"Lance, you know me, I would NEVER do anything like that. Your friend obviously has some problems," Laura said, shaking her head. Jubilee couldn't believe it when Lance folded his arms over his chest, his hazel eyes looking at her as if SHE had done something wrong. Tears blurred her vision, as she realized that he didn't believe her. Jubilee swiped blindly at her shirt and pants, trying to keep from bursting into tears.  
  
The whole day had been a nightmare. Who was she kidding when she thought she'd win Lance? I don't need a guy who'd believe that Ice Queen over me, Jubilee thought, swiping at a tear.  
  
"You can go clean up or whatever, Lance and I can load the kids into the bus," Laura finally said, her voice still subtly gleeful. Jubilee didn't care anymore about either one of them. So what if Laura took credit for watching the kids all day, and sat next to Lance on the bus? All she wanted to do was get away from Lance's disappointed eyes, and Laura's cruel smile.  
  
"Go to hell," Jubilee yelled over her shoulder and took off down the path, aware of the shocked faces of Laura and Lance looking at her.  
  
"She's so moody," Jubilee heard Laura announce behind her.  
  
Jubilee kept running until she nearly collided with Kurt. She stopped, and raised her eyebrows at the horde of kids running behind Kurt. "Kurt, what-?"  
  
"Don't say anything," Kurt said tersely. "I'm swear, if I survive this day, I'm making a solemn vow to never ever have kids." Then he stopped, and gazed concernedly at Jubilee's wet eyelashes, stained clothes, and miserable expression. "Hey, what happened to you?"  
  
"Don't ask," Jubilee said morosely. "I was delusional and actually thought Lance and I might end up together. I don't even want to talk about him," Jubilee said finally. "Come on, let's go back to the bus. I can help you with the kids."  
  
At that, Kurt looked insanely relieved, quickly, pushing forth 7 kids towards her. "How'd you end up with 14 kids anyway?"  
  
"Bobby the Great decided it would be fun to rendezvous with Rogue in the haunted house, and left me with the rugrats before I had a chance to escape!" Kurt said. Jubilee suppressed a giggle at the way a little girl kept tugging at his pants.  
  
"I think she likes you," Jubilee said giggling, feeling a tiny bit better as the little girl gave Kurt a big gap-toothed grin.  
  
"Figures, the only kind of women I get are the kind with perpetually sticky hands and missing teeth," Kurt muttered wryly.  
  
After they reached the bus, and had successfully loaded the kids in, they got onto the bus containing all the "babysitters." Jubilee sat down next to Kurt, her throat constricting as she saw out the window, Lance and Laura approaching.  
  
"Yay, here come the gruesome twosome," Jubilee said sourly. Kurt laughed.  
  
"You wanna tell me what happened?" Kurt asked, his eyebrows furrowed. Jubilee smiled sadly at her friend.  
  
"You'll hear all the sordid details tonight, don't worry," Jubilee promised, and glanced down the chocolaty stains on her clothes. "Right after I dunk these in bleach and -." Jubilee stopped when she saw Laura and Lance enter the bus, purposely averting her eyes as she felt Lance's eyes on her. Lance opened his mouth as if to say something, but Laura tugged him to the back of the bus, throwing a snide look at Jubilee.  
  
Kurt looked sympathetically at Jubilee. "Don't worry, one day we'll look back at this day and laugh."  
  
Jubilee nodded, but her heart was heavy as she glanced down at the pink giraffe. She swallowed her tears and shoved the stuffed animal into her backpack. 


	18. deception

"What do you MEAN it's GONE?!" Rogue asked, her voice rising to a panicked state. Bobby stepped back and checked his pockets again.  
  
"I swear it was in my pocket, it must have fallen when we fell," Bobby said, shaking his head.  
  
"We have to find it!" Rogue cried out, getting down on her hands and knees, her long dark locks falling in her face. Bobby raised his eyebrows. He hadn't seen Rogue this worked up since someone had lost her Metallica CD. It was kinda cute actually, Bobby thought, a small grin forming on his lips as he watched her scurrying around. She stopped and turned on him.  
  
"What are you waiting for?! We could die in here!" Rogue said, throwing up her hands.  
  
"There's no way we can find the key, it's too dark in here," Bobby said, pointing to the dimming lights which threw soft shadows on the walls. Rogue bit her lip, and finally slumped against the wall, her head in her hands.  
  
"What's wrong?" Bobby asked, sitting next to her.  
  
"You'll laugh," Rogue said, looking up briefly from her hands.  
  
Bobby frowned.  
  
"Why would I do that?"  
  
"Well, you're the class clown...aren't you supposed to make fun of stupid things like being afraid of the dark?"  
  
"Look, just because I act like a goofball, doesn't mean everything's a joke to me," Bobby said, feeling hurt at the accusation. "That's like me saying that just because you act all tough it means you don't have a heart."  
  
Rogue looked at him for a second, her hazel eyes softening. "Yeah, I guess so. Sorry."  
  
"No problem."  
  
The two sat next to each other in silence, as Rogue looked around, her eyes scanning the walls for a possible way to get out. She got up and circled the walls, swatting aside hanging skeletons and fake cobwebs. "Okay, it's official. We're going to die," Rogue said, so seriously that Bobby had to hide a smile with his hand.  
  
"Rogue, we're not going to die, I'm sure we can find some nice tasty spiders to eat," Bobby teased. Rogue shot him a glare, but Bobby could have sworn he saw a ghost of smile on her lips.  
  
"I bet we're losing air as we speak. I can't believe I'm going to die in a haunted house. What a pathetic way to go," Rogue muttered, taking off her sweater.  
  
Bobby tried not to stare, but kept wondering how the hell he could have lived with her for two years before realizing how beautiful she was. Even more beautiful when she showed her vulnerability. She was strong, and smart, and..  
  
"Drake? DRAKE," Rogue repeated impatiently. "On your feet. I think there's an air vent at the very top. And you're bigger than me, so you have to hoist me up."  
  
..demanding. Bobby sighed and got up, stretching. "Okay, where exactly is this air vent?"  
  
"Up there," Rogue said, pointing upwards. Bobby followed her finger upwards, until he saw a tiny air vent about 25 feet up. His mouth fell open.  
  
"Are you crazy? How exactly are we supposed to get up there? Fly?"  
  
"Those old boxes," Rogue explained, pointing to the giant boxes that had been discarded. "There are a ton of them, and we can use them to get leverage."  
  
Bobby looked skeptically, but Rogue was already piling boxes, one on top of the other until there was a stack of 5 or 6, leaning precariously. When she had finished, she smiled triumphantly at him.  
  
"Okay, now get on them," Rogue said.  
  
"I like you a lot Rogue. But not enough to commit suicide," Bobby said finally, shaking his head. Rogue flushed hotly at his remark, and looked down for a second. Then, regaining her composure crossed her arms.  
  
"Fine. I can do it myself," Rogue said stubbornly, and climbed onto the boxes, her cheeks flushed with concentration. When she reached the top, she smirked. "See, I told you, it's e-," Rogue stopped, and without warning slipped and fell. Bobby didn't even think, before dashing over, and catching her just as she was about to hit the floor. He stared down into her face as she opened her eyes. Rogue blushed as she found herself inches away from Bobby.  
  
"Um, uh, thanks," Rogue murmured, avoiding his eyes. Bobby smiled, flashing his perfectly white teeth.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Bobby made a move to get up, but as he did, his hand hit something cold and metal. He closed around it, and his eyes widened as he realized it was the key.  
  
"Rogue?" Bobby began, his eyes closing around the key. Rogue looked up at him, her hazel eyes warm.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Bobby stopped, and swallowed. If he told her about the key, the moment would be gone, she would go back to keeping him at arm's distance. Closing his eyes, he quickly slipped the key into his pocket, and turned back to her. "Nothing, Rogue. It was nothing." 


	19. rationale

NOTE: Please please review! Thank you!  
  
Kitty sat in the bus, her heart racing. What had just happened? Did Pietro just KISS her? Had he lost his mind? Was she losing hers?  
  
"Kitty, wow!" a voice shouted from the back. Gritting her teeth, Kitty picked an empty seat, and plopped down it, leaning back. Stupid, halter top. She had almost forgotten about it..and Pietro's jacket that covered her shoulders. Kitty took it off, and placed it on her lap, staring down at it unseeingly. Suddenly, she looked up to see him climbing into the bus. Oh god, Kitty thought, her cheeks flushing again, as she remembered how she had kissed him back. It hadn't been one-sided.... the feeling of his arms around her was still fresh in her mind. Kitty swallowed as he came closer, aware of his eyes burning into her.  
  
She looked down, and saw him hesitate right before, sitting next to her. Kitty swallowed. What was she supposed to say: Hi, I'm supposed to hate your guts, but my knees feel weak whenever you kiss me? Kitty closed her eyes, and forced herself to clear her mind. Obviously, this was just a fluke...the result of too much sun, and stress, and being near a good- looking guy. But this wasn't just ANY good-looking guy, Kitty told herself sternly. It was Pietro, Master Flirt, Jerk Extraordinaire, which made him strictly off-limits to her. It was logical enough, so why couldn't she get him out of her head? The silence was killing her. Why didn't he say something? Anything?  
  
"Pietro,-," Kitty began simultaneously. They both stopped, and cleared their throats.  
  
"Kitty,-," Pietro began.  
  
Kitty looked down her hands, and squared her shoulders. He was probably about to tell her that the kiss was a colossal mistake and he was regretting it already. Then SHE would be the one looking like a fool, after she poured her heart out...All I'm doing is safeguarding myself against a broken heart, Kitty told herself staunchly. And she knew full well, that he could break her heart, very easily.  
  
I have to be the logical one, Kitty thought, trying not to look into his blue eyes, knowing her resolve would disappear if she did. Pietro had never had a serious relationship up to date, and judging from the kind of girls he had dated, Kitty was probably the last person he'd be interested in. What kind of relationship could they possibly have?  
  
"You can go first," Pietro said, softly.  
  
"Um, well, we both know that, um, that little incident back there," Kitty began, flushing.  
  
"You mean, our kiss," Pietro interrupted, his eyes bluer than ever, a ghost of a grin on his lips.  
  
"Right, um," Kitty stammered, wondering why her cheeks felt as if they were on fire. "Well, we both know that it was due to, um, mutual stress, and the heat of the situation. There's this Freudian theory that backs that up, actually," Kitty went on, warming to her subject when Pietro didn't say anything. "You see, the theory says that if two people are in a stressful situation, such as me getting attacked, then..well, a temporary attraction takes place, which would explain the kiss. So, um, now that that's over, we can go back to normal and pretend it never happened," Kitty finished in a rush, finally looking up. Pietro just looked at her, his eyebrows raised. Kitty bit her lip, waiting for him to speak. Then, he exploded.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about!"  
  
Kitty jumped back, her jaw dropping at the anger in his voice. "What do you MEAN what am I talking about!"  
  
"Only you could manage to rationalize something as impulsive as a kiss! Jeez, do you think you can go an entire day without overanalyzing everything?" Pietro said angrily, his eyes flashing.  
  
Kitty got in his face, her own eyes sparking hotly. "Yeah, well I, atleast to attempt something as crazy as us being attracted to each other! I mean, otherwise you might as well just lump me together with the rest of your many floozies!"  
  
"You're just totally convinced of my playboy status, that you won't give me a chance!" Pietro spat out, now completely furious. Kitty could feel herself growing more and more defensive. One part of her wanted desperately to believe that he truly liked her, but another part of her was telling her she was crazy to even think she was his type.  
  
"What am I supposed to think! You go around flirting your head off with every single girl in the entire carnival and then you kiss me, and I'm supposed to fall at your feet!" Kitty retorted.  
  
"You're impossible, Pryde," Pietro said disgustedly. "I don't even know why I bothered!"  
  
The bus stopped outside the mansion. Pietro got up, taking off down the aisle.  
  
"Wait, Pietro, your jacket," Kitty called, desperately trying to prevent her tears, wanting to take back her words, but knowing it was too late.  
  
"Keep it," Pietro spat back, and stalked off the bus.  
  
Kitty watched him, feeling her eyes fill with tears. Did I do the right thing? Kitty watched his large form disappear into the mansion, and she leaned back into the seat closing her eyes. She wasn't so sure anymore. 


	20. jubilee's plan

NOTE: Hey guys, don't hate me! (author ducking to avoid tomatoes and eggs)...but I'm new to college, and sheesh this week was mid-terms. Needless to say I became intimate with Starbucks and my Chemistry textbook! Whew! Thank god it's the weekend! Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers that have waited so patiently, I hope u like the chapters I wrote! Please please review, woo hoo! (  
  
Jubilee opened the door to the mansion, shaking her long black hair out of her ponytail, and stomped into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she scanned the contents for the pint of Triple Toffee fudge ice cream. "Where is it?" Jubilee muttered, irritated as she shoved aside cartons of milk. She found it, finally, half eaten near the back of the fridge next to Dr. McCoy's leftover quiche.  
  
Settling down in the couch, Jubilee opened the carton and took a heaping spoonful, feeling only a little better. Stupid perfect Laura.  
  
Suddenly heavy footsteps sounded behind her. Jubilee knew without even having to turn around that it was Logan...probably coming to find out what was wrong. Honestly, he acted like her self-appointed counselor.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it, and no I'm not going to share the ice- cream," Jubilee announced, before Logan could open his mouth.  
  
"Why is your shirt stained brown? Did you fall in the mud or something?" Logan asked instead, ignoring the glare she shot him. The only thing she wanted to do now was watch some reruns of Wonder Years and get a sugar high. Was that so much to ask?  
  
"I wish. Laura the psycho dumped my milkshake all over me on purpose at the carnival and Lance took her side," Jubilee muttered, viciously digging into the carton with renewed vigor.  
  
"And you're upset about it?" Logan asked gruffly, his eyes concerned.  
  
"No, of course not. I'm not upset. Why would I be upset?" Jubilee demanded.  
  
"I don't know," Logan said with deliberate casualness, and sat down with a beer in hand. Jubilee gritted her teeth. She hated when he did this. Pretended like he didn't give a damn one way or another until she ended up spilling out the whole ugly story.  
  
"So, did you catch the game last night?" Logan asked indifferently.  
  
"Alright I'm miserable! Lance likes Laura better than me, I don't know what to do," Jubilee said reluctantly. "You have to help me!"  
  
Logan spit out his beer. "You want ME to give you advice on dating?"  
  
Jubilee frowned. "I see your point. The longest relationship I've ever seen you been in is that time you dated that freaky-,"  
  
"Alright, that's enough about my love life!" Logan growled.  
  
"Jeez, I'm just trying to help!" Jubilee scowled back, and settled deeper into the couch.  
  
"Look, my only advice is, you're not the type to just back down into a corner. If you like Lance, then do something about it," Logan said, taking a long gulp of his beer. Jubilee frowned.  
  
"What exactly am I supposed to do? Wear plaid like Laura and eat salads all the time..THAT"S IT!" Jubilee yelled, sitting up. "By tomorrow, you'll see a whole new Jubilee! Thanks!"  
  
Logan just stared at her as if she'd gone nuts. Jubilee didn't care though, she tore up to her room, grinning. Suddenly she couldn't wait for tomorrow. 


	21. disagreeing

NOTE: okay, more Rogue/bobby hehe, I just realized what an incredibly weird pairing this is..but I hope u like it, it's something new for me to write! Again, reviews are much appreciated!  
  
Rogue woke up to find her head resting against Bobby's chest. She lifted herself off sleepily, blushing hotly when she found him awake and watching her, his blue eyes amused. "Guess I, um, fell asleep," Rogue said lamely, pretending to pick lint off her shirt.  
  
"Yeah, guess you did," Bobby replied, the side of his mouth twitching as if repressing a smile.  
  
Rogue felt herself grinning back, wondering why the hell she was in such a good mood. And because of Bobby Drake! Who would've thought? This was stupid, crazy..insane. She was stuck in a dark, horribly claustrophobic room with the mansion's unofficial class clown...and she was loving every minute of it.  
  
"So, you wanna try that window again?" Bobby asked, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Ha, ha. No thanks," Rogue shot back, side-stepping boxes. She grinned suddenly. "But we could try banging down the door."  
  
"That wouldn't do any good, I've already tried," Bobby said, shaking his head. Rogue put her hands on her hips and tipped her head with a challenging look on her face.  
  
"So? Just because you couldn't do it, doesn't mean I can't," Rogue said confidently, her heart fluttering lightly as Bobby folded his arms over his chest and laughed at her. How could she have completely missed how gorgeous he was? Rogue groaned. What was going ON with her?  
  
Rogue kicked at the door, and wasn't surprised when it didn't budge. She sighed heavily. "This is hopeless."  
  
"Is it that bad being stuck here with me?" Bobby asked softly. Rogue jumped as she realized he was merely inches from her.  
  
"Uh, um, NO! I mean...no," Rogue said, more normally, trying to avoid his penetrating gaze. "It's just that it's been a long day and I just want to go home more than anything." Rogue was surprised when Bobby flushed a little..guiltily. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Uh, no, nothing's wrong," Bobby said quickly. Rogue frowned at him.  
  
"If you say so, Drake."  
  
"Oh so now we're back to "Drake?" Bobby asked, his eyebrows raised. "I thought we were past that."  
  
"What do you mean?" Rogue said, feeling her face flame again.  
  
"I thought we were getting along pretty well," Bobby said softly, his eyes somewhat hurt. Rogue felt guilty and giddy at the same time. How could she tell him they couldn't be together and be honest to herself about her feelings for him?  
  
"We are, but we could never be.anything more than friends," Rogue said quickly, moving away. There. She had said it and it felt horrible, especially since she wished it could be otherwise.  
  
"Why not?" Bobby demanded, his eyes bluer than ever. He looked so hurt, that Rogue could feel her resolve slipping. Would it really be so horrible to indulge in the fantasy that she could have a normal relationship?  
  
"I don't feel that way about you!" Rogue said stubbornly. But she knew it was a lie, and so did he.  
  
"I thought you were the straight-forward type, Rogue. So, why are you lying to me?"  
  
Rogue didn't want to look up at him, feeling more confused and frustrated than ever. Bobby put his hands gently around her shoulders. "I don't want to talk about this, Bobby," Rogue said frustrated, and pushed him away. The movement was so sudden that Bobby staggered back, and used the wall to steady himself. As he did, a small silver object slipped out of his pocket and clattered on the floor near his feet.  
  
Rogue looked closer. It looked like..a key. Bobby looked up at her, his face pleading.  
  
Rogue was stunned. She stared at it and looked up at him, furious and confused and sad all at once.  
  
"Rogue-," Bobby began, reaching out to her. Rogue backed away, furious all at once.  
  
"No, don't. Stay away from me," Rogue said, her voice shaking. "You had it.this whole time!"  
  
"Look Rogue, I didn't do it to hurt you, I just wanted to spend some time with you," Bobby said, his eyes penitent.  
  
"Spent TIME with me? By locking me up in this .this DUNGEON? Did you plan this?!" Rogue knew she was overreacting but couldn't help herself  
  
"Look, I know I screwed up, but Rogue you never gave me a fair chance. I knew once we got back you'd go back to acting like this," Bobby protested.  
  
"Like what?" Rogue said hotly.  
  
"Like you don't realize that we would be good together..and lying to me about your feelings!"  
  
"You're talking to ME about lying? You were the one who sat by pretending u didn't have any idea where the key was while I was miserable!" Rogue retorted.  
  
Bobby ran a hand through his hair, his eyes frustrated. "Rogue, look I'm sorry! But you're being really unreasonable about this!"  
  
"Just drop it, Bobby ok?" Rogue said hotly, and picked up the key and marched to the door.  
  
"Fine!" Bobby said, losing his temper finally.  
  
"Good!" Rogue retorted back, determined to have the last word, as she finally managed to get the door open. "Finally, I can get out of here, and away from you!"  
  
"Best idea I've heard all day!" Bobby shot back, equally pissed off.  
  
The two stalked off to the bus, keeping a good distance between them. 


	22. kitchen drama

NOTE: please review this chapter and tell me what u think.thanks! Big hug to all my faithful reviewers!  
  
  
  
Kitty sat in her room, wondering where the hell her roommates were. Jubilee had left early in the morning, which was a miracle in itself. And she had gone without even a word as to her whereabouts, mumbling something about a "new look." And Rogue had been gone for a really long time. Kitty frowned, dying to talk to someone about how unbelievably conflicted she felt about Pietro.  
  
Dr. Grey? The kindly doctor was warm and open but probably wouldn't understand. The Professor? Kitty shook her head. Logan? Kitty winced, Logan would most likely run screaming from the room. She sighed. Maybe the best thing was to act normal around Pietro, pretend nothing was wrong..all they had done was kiss. That wasn't so big.was it? Kitty knew it was big. She had gone from hating his guts to feeling dangerously giddy in his arms in a matter of seconds.  
  
"God I'm such a wimp," Kitty muttered disgustedly, but straightened her shoulders. All it took was a little willpower. That's all. If she could just forget that Pietro was unbelievably gorgeous whose kisses reduced her to a puddle of goo..she'd be fine.  
  
Kitty threw open the door, and caught sight of her reflection in the hallway mirror, remembering that she still had on the halter top. She didn't look so bad in it, Kitty thought modestly. Maybe she'd wear it once in a while...of course, when there was no chance of ever running into Rogue, Bobby, or Jubilee who'd only laugh their ass off.  
  
Kitty ran downstairs, taking the steps two at a time. So long as all the adults were out of the mansion, she might as well take the opportunity to get some TV time. The sight that met her eyes made her stomach clench. Pietro was curled up on the couch, with Stacy next to him, and they looked as if they were having a great time. Kitty forced herself to breath. I don't care, I don't care, Kitty chanted to herself, feeling her eyes sting with tears.  
  
Pietro had just proved her point that he was incapable of committing to any one girl. I mean, look at his taste in women, Kitty thought sniffing back tears, and stomping into the kitchen. She banged some pots together deliberately trying to make as much noise, knowing she was being petty but not being able to help herself. She opened the cupboard and took out a bag of goldfish, her comfort food, and walked back out to the TV, trying her hardest to keep her cool as she waited for Pietro to notice her presence.  
  
"Kitty," Pietro said sitting up, his features indecipherable.  
  
"Maximoff," Kitty clenched her teeth, practically spitting out the word. Stacy raised her eyebrows at the intense looks being passed back and forth.  
  
"Kitty, what are you doing here?" Stacy asked snidely.  
  
"I live here," Kitty snapped, sitting down in the opposite couch with her Goldfish bag. "What's your excuse?"  
  
"Pietro invited me," Stacy informed her gleefully, completely missing the irritated look Pietro flashed at her.  
  
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Kitty muttered, reaching for a handful of goldfish, and sweeping her hair off her shoulders, trying to avoid the way Pietro was looking at her.  
  
"Could you, like, leave? Pietro and I were in the middle of something," Stacy snapped, as Kitty leafed through the TV guide with deliberate casualness.  
  
"Gee I wonder what that was," Kitty said, with a look at Pietro, who just glared back at her.  
  
"Use your imagination," Stacy said sweetly. Pietro grimaced.  
  
"No thanks, I might lose my appetite," Kitty retorted, trying to swallow back her tears.  
  
"Kitty, mind if I talk to you in the other room for a minute?" Pietro said tightly, his eyes blazing.  
  
"No problem you're the boss," Kitty retorted, following him out of the room ignoring Stacy's poisonous look.  
  
Pietro stalked to the kitchen, and closed the connecting door, and turned to her. "Okay, what the hell is going on?"  
  
Faced so close to him, Kitty could feel all the anger drain after her, feeling as if she might do something mortifying like start sobbing. She barely managed to voice out coolly, "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"You know exactly what I'm talking about! You look at me as if I'm the scum of the earth or something!" Pietro said angrily, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"Well you are! It certainly didn't take you long to find another girl," Kitty said hotly. Pietro's eyes were blazing even bluer than usual.  
  
"You TOLD me that you didn't want anything to do with me, and our kiss was due to "mutual stress," Pietro said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "So you don't want to date me but you'd rather have me moping around the mansion pining over you?"  
  
"That's not what I meant!" Kitty said furiously.  
  
"You know what I think? I think that maybe you enjoyed that kiss but you don't have the guts to admit it!" Pietro challenged.  
  
Kitty flushed hotly. She couldn't believe the turn the conversation was taking. "I do so have the guts!" Kitty said furiously. Why do I ALWAYS act like such a child around him? Kitty thought cursing herself.  
  
"Then admit it," Pietro said simply, leaning back against the cupboards, his eyes trapping hers.  
  
Kitty was so flustered she couldn't even think. "If you think I'm going to flatter your already enormous ego, you can forget it!" Kitty finally sputtered, her cheeks flushed pink.  
  
Pietro leaned closer. "That's what I thought. You don't want to admit it."  
  
He looked so smug, that it made Kitty even more furious and defensive. "That's because there's nothing to admit! That was the worst, most disgusting kiss I've ever had!" Kitty retaliated, inwardly wincing at the colossal lie. And from the way Pietro was looking at her, he didn't believe it either.  
  
Without a word, he leaned in, placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and kissed her. Kitty couldn't even breathe, but practically melted into his embrace. After several moments, he released her softly. "Disgusting?"  
  
"Yeah," Kitty retorted, breathlessly.  
  
At that moment, the kitchen door opened. "What the hell is going on here?!"  
  
Both teens looked at each other and gaped at the person at the door wordlessly. 


	23. new look

NOTE: Finally,...whew, sorry it took so long, I swear this week was hell.hehe, I'm sure everyone loves my complaints about college life but here it is. Also, this is a DESPERATE plea for advice, because my momentum is really slowing on this story...it could be due to the fact that I'm working on another kietro story I'm really excited about, and so I'm sorry that this story is sort of lagging. ANY ideas at all will be welcomed. Thank you all for reviewing, you guys are the best! Enjoy!  
  
  
  
Jubilee straightened the skirt with her hands, trying to look at herself objectively in the mirror. She took a deep breath. It was safe to say that she'd never ever looked more different. It's all for Lance, Jubilee thought, feeling the familiar pinch of hurt when she remembered how he'd taken the side of Laura. If Laura's who he wants, then Laura's who he'll get, Jubilee thought, trying to squelch the feeling of dread she had as she looked at her completely made over image in the floor length mirror.  
  
Suddenly the door flew open, and Rogue stormed in, her hair in disarray and her hazel eyes cloudy with anger.  
  
Rogue took off her backpack. Jubilee watched open mouthed, as Rogue took Kleenex and wiped off her make-up briskly. "What's up with you?"  
  
Rogue turned around. "Well, let's just say that this day has been the worst-...WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOURSELF!" Rogue took in Jubilee's knee- length plaid skirt, white stockings, Mary-Jane shoes, a white full-sleeve shirt with a tiny gold pin on the left, and the most horrid transformation of Jubilee's glorious pin-straight black hair into two absurdly bouncy pigtails.  
  
Jubilee swallowed hard, and looked back defiantly. "What do you mean? I just gave myself a little make-over," Jubilee said defensively.  
  
"You look like a Catholic school girl on crack!" Rogue sputtered.  
  
"I wanted a new look," Jubilee said hotly, looking dismally at the skirt. It looked so ugly....but if that's what Lance liked..  
  
"There was nothing wrong with your OLD look," Rogue protested. "What on earth could have possessed you to do this to yourself!"  
  
Jubilee looked down, her lower lip trembled. Ugh, Jubilee thought, realizing how dangerously close to tears she was. "I just wanted to impress Lance. That's it. He seems to be so enamored with Laura. I mean, she's so graceful, elegant, and...  
  
"And a moron," Rogue finished for her. "If Lance likes her than obviously he's not worth it."  
  
"But he IS worth it. He's everything I've ever wanted in a guy. He's sweet, smart, funny..."  
  
"DENSE," Rogue interrupted. "Jubilee, he's not worth all this. You don't even LOOK like yourself!"  
  
"That's the point," Jubilee said in a small voice, and left the room, blinking back her tears and straightening her shoulders.  
  
She'd be graceful, and cease to revert back to her former klutzy self. Jubilee walked down the stairs, gritting her teeth at the way the Mary-Janes seemed to squeeze all the oxygen from her feet. "Maybe this is why Laura was so uptight...sheesh," Jubilee muttered, as she gripped the banister firmly and managed to make it to the foot of the stairs without killing herself.  
  
Suddenly, she saw Lance sitting in the den, Laura next to him. Uh oh, Jubilee thought nervously, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. But just as she was about to turn around and flee, Lance looked up. His eyes bugged out.  
  
"Jubilee," Lance choked out, standing up. Laura turned that way and her own reaction was equally comical. The two both stared at her as if she'd suddenly pulled out a machine gun.  
  
Jubilee opened her mouth to speak, forcing the flirtatious tone she had heard Laura use so many times. "So, what do you think?" 


	24. 2 of a kind

NOTE: hmmm, should I continue the rogue/bobby conflict?? Input please! Thank you! Reviewers will be loved forever hehe!  
  
Rogue rubbed her head in frustration, as she found herself peeking into the hallways, wondering if she could go downstairs and get a salami sandwich without running into Bobby. She was starving, since she hadn't eaten since noon. Her stomach rumbled again. Rogue groaned. She'd risk it. It was better than going around sounding like a grizzly. Rogue stepped into the hallway, and quickly checked over her shoulder, but when she turned back, she found her face to face with Bobby.  
  
"Great," Rogue muttered. "Just my luck." But as she said the words, she could feel her heart fluttering nervously as she found his blue eyes fixed on her.  
  
"Yeah, really," Bobby retorted, but his eyes were softening as he looked at her.  
  
"Well I'll just be out of your way," Rogue shot back, trying to cover up her quavering voice.  
  
"No, wait," Bobby said desperately, holding out a hand.  
  
"What?" Rogue asked uncertainly.  
  
Bobby looked at her, and then back down at the floor. "Nothing," he mumbled.  
  
"Fine," Rogue said, and pushed past him, aware of his eyes on her neck. "And you call ME immature," Rogue muttered under her breath, ready to go down the stairs.  
  
"Excuse me?!" Bobby's incredulous voice sounded behind her, tinged with anger. "Yeah, avoiding me like the plague is SO mature, Rogue," Bobby said sarcastically. Rogue whirled to face him, the stressful events of the evening needing an outlet.  
  
"I'm not avoiding you; it's not even worth my time!" Rogue retorted.  
  
"Uh huh, sure. That's why you've been holed up in your room and sticking your head out every five minutes!" Bobby shot back, crossing his arms in front of him. Rogue was mortified. He'd SEEN that?  
  
"What are you, stalking me now? It wasn't enough that you locked me in that .that CAVE, but you have to keep tabs on everything I do?" Rogue snapped. Bobby's eyes were blue fire as he stared back at her.  
  
"Get over yourself, Rogue. The world doesn't revolve around you! I'd never make the mistake of being nice to you and showing I care, twice in one day!"  
  
Rogue was choked with an odd feeling of hot indignation as she heard some truth ring in his words as well as ..love? No, Rogue thought stubbornly, the day I fall for a clown-head like him, is the day I wear pastels! The cool look in his eye that seemed to hint that he'd decided she was more trouble than she was worth hurt her more than his words. And Rogue dealt with hurt, the same way she did with everything else that made her miserable; lashing out.  
  
"How DARE you imply that I'm self-centered! You hardly talked to me at ALL until the past week, then you shower me with affection and I'm supposed to be totally trusting!" Rogue said furiously, her hazel eyes flashing danger. But Bobby was far from having his say.  
  
"Or maybe it's because you've NEVER been trusting. You always assume the minute someone is nice to you they're out to use you! Well, let me tell you something, maybe people are nice just BECAUSE. I don't suppose you'd ever buy a crazy idea like that huh?" Bobby said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"No, because I wasn't born yesterday!" Rogue retorted, determined to win the argument. "The only reason you decided to pursue me is because I was a challenge. I bet you thought, "Hmmm, let me go chat with that reclusive goth girl because I have NOTHING else to do!"  
  
"That's really fair Rogue, make it out as if I'm some kind of airhead who doesn't even know what he wants!" Bobby bit out furiously.  
  
"You ARE an airhead, you're about as serious as a clown at a Rodeo show!" Rogue said, regretting the words as she saw the hurt in Bobby's eyes. She'd gone too far. She didn't even know why she said those things, maybe it was a way to make sure he was furious with her and would never speak to her again. Then she could go back to the way she was, without all those mixed up emotions that came with being around him.  
  
"You're right, I was an idiot to think that somebody could fix that enormous chip on your shoulder," Bobby said furiously. "I'm going downstairs before I say something I regret. Are you coming, or are you planning to starve to death?" he said, the heavy sarcasm back in his voice. Rogue faintly reflected his personality didn't come naturally with sarcasm, it was odd to hear it used so harshly against her.  
  
Blinking back tears, she informed him coolly, "Suddenly, I've lost my appetite," and went into her room and slammed the door, tears already streaming down her face. 


	25. date you? PLEASE!

NOTE: review please! Thanks..:)  
  
Kitty stared aghast at Logan, wondering is if this were just an awful nightmare..it had to be, and it was about to get worse. The Professor had heard Logan's yelling and had come down to investigate to find an ashen faced Kitty and a beet-red Pietro backing away defensively against the furious look in Logan's eyes.  
  
"I repeat, what the hell is going on?" Logan said, crossing his arms. Pietro gulped, and Kitty looked down at the floor silently wondering just how much Logan had seen.  
  
The Professor looked vaguely confused. "Is there something wrong?"  
  
Kitty felt her face heat up. "Nope. Nothing wrong. Nothing happened."  
  
Logan snorted fiercely. "I walked in here to find these two playing tonsil hockey right in the middle of the kitchen. Damn near killed my appetite."  
  
"We weren't doing anything," Pietro said quickly, regaining some of his trademark cool composure.  
  
"Yeah nothing."  
  
"It didn't look like nothing," Logan said suspiciously.  
  
"Please, are you crazy?" Pietro said derisively, and then quickly added, "No, of course your not. Hehe, I meant, Kitty and I don't even LIKE each other, and she's too boring for my taste."  
  
Kitty stared at him, open-mouthed, not quite sure if Pietro was pretending so they could both get out of the situation unscathed or if he actually meant the words coming out of his mouth. Heaven knew he'd said them often enough. Not to be outdone, Kitty cleared her mysteriously parched throat.  
  
"Yeah, please, could you actually see me with that fast-talking troll?" Kitty retorted, believably. Logan raised his eyebrows, and Pietro stared at her, his jaw set in a hard line. Kitty avoided his gaze and instead concentrated on whether the Professor and Logan were buying the act. They were..Kitty was about to flash a triumphant smile at Pietro, when he turned back to Logan.  
  
"Pay no attention to her, she's just mad because she couldn't get a date on planet of the apes," Pietro shot out. Kitty's eyes narrowed dangerously. Apparently this was no longer a game. The Professor was looking a little exasperated.  
  
"That's quite enough, you both don't have to prove," the Professor began saying tiredly. Kitty cut him off swiftly, turning on Pietro furiously.  
  
"You pig, there's no way on earth I'd ever go out with you!"  
  
"Good, because there's no way in hell I'd ever ask you!" Pietro shot back. Kitty wanted to stomp on his foot she was that steamed, but amazingly it was Logan who stepped in.  
  
"Alright that's enough," Logan announced, stepping between them. Pietro and Kitty faced each other, teeth clenched. "You've made your point."  
  
"What's all the yelling about?" came a snotty voice behind them. All four turned to face an irritated Stacy.  
  
"You're boyfriend lost his ONLY brain-cell, it's a pity really," Kitty said coolly, aware of Pietro glaring at her.  
  
"Kitty ENOUGH!" Logan said warningly, although she could see a small hint of a smile on his face.  
  
Kitty stomped out of the room, furious with herself for letting him kiss her again. He would never change that was for sure. She heard footsteps behind her and whirled to find Pietro stalking after her.  
  
"Kitty you just decided our relationship right there. So we're gonna stay enemies, huh? Fine. You want it that way, you got it," Pietro snapped. Kitty looked at him, swallowing hard.  
  
"Good, great, thank god," Kitty lied, trying not to look at him. Pietro looked at her for a second, and the atmosphere was electric. Then he exhaled softly, turned and left. Kitty sniffed quietly and reached her room. She had made the decision and she was going to stick with it even if it killed her. Looking back at Pietro's muscular back, and silver-gilt hair, Kitty closed her eyes determinedly. She didn't need him. She could go on like before. Now if she could only believe it.. 


	26. back to the original

NOTE: hey everyone, first off I want to say I'm really really really really sorry that I've been so slow about updating. My only excuse is that college is a pain in the butt and after an all nighter, I wrote a chapter that was so god-awful that I cringed reading it over. So I had to revise it, plus, I'm experiencing some computer problems. Anyways, I want to thank my faithful reviewers. You guys are so incredibly awesome, ure emails definitely gave me the kick I needed hehe. I think I'll put up a chapter or maybe 2 at a time and update more regularly rather than write 3 and take 4 weeks! Hehe, thanks again!  
  
  
  
"What have you DONE to yourself?!" Lance practically yelled. Jubilee stepped back a little, momentarily shocked by his reaction, but it was quickly replaced by anger. First Rogue, now Lance...what was wrong with changing her image? It was okay for Laura to be elegant and polished looking but when Jubilee tried it was suddenly horrible!  
  
"Yes, Jubilee, you look perfectly awful," Laura said cruelly, standing up, her arm on Lance's.  
  
Logan and the Professor stepped into the living room. Logan choked on his beer. "What the-?!"  
  
At that moment, Bobby came barreling down the stairs, but he nearly lost his balance when he saw Jubilee. "Oh my god!"  
  
That was the last straw. Jubilee choked back a sob, and fled up the stairs, nearly tripping on the shoes. When she got into her room, she kicked off the shoes viciously and flopped on the bed, sobbing hard. That jerk Lance! To think she'd gone to the trouble of putting her hair in those stupid pigtails..and that skirt! Ugh! It made Jubilee sick to think that Laura had won Lance in the end, but she had had enough of remaking herself to get a guy to like her. Rogue was right.  
  
Jubilee got up resolutely and stalked to the mirror, and yanked her hair out of the pigtails and combed it till it fell straight and shiny by her shoulders. She quickly shed the skirt, and shuddered as she threw it in the trash. Finally, dressed in a tank top and jeans she felt like herself.  
  
Jubilee heard a small noise behind her and saw Kitty lift her head from the bed. "Hey, I didn't even realize you were here," Jubilee exclaimed turning around.  
  
"Men are scum," was Kitty's answer.  
  
"You can say that again," Rogue muttered, from her corner of the room.  
  
"Rogue, what's wrong?" Jubilee asked, wondering why boys had the power to create so much havoc in the lives of girls. She had been JUST fine before Lance had come along..  
  
"Bobby. He's being a jerk," Rogue mumbled, and got up, brushing her dark hair away from her face. She blinked her eyes and managed a small smile. "I see you finally stopped looking like a Laura zombie."  
  
"Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. If Laura's what Lance wants, then he can have her," Jubilee said sadly.  
  
"I don't think that's what he wants," Rogue interjected.  
  
Jubilee swallowed. "It doesn't matter." And with that Jubilee left the room and out the back door. The fresh air welcomed her, and Jubilee sat on the bench kicking dirt around despondently with her toe.  
  
"Hey." Jubilee jerked her head up to see Lance walking slowly towards her. She got up to bolt, but he grabbed her wrist firmly.  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
"No we don't. I'm a liar remember, and apparently unoriginal as well," Jubilee said her anger resurfacing as she remembered the day's events.  
  
"I never said that, Jubilee. I'm sorry about..," Lance paused a second, looking at her so intensely that Jubilee looked down, "everything. I guess I was surprised at your new look. I don't know why you would do something like that."  
  
"You're right, no one could ever copy the original Laura, perfect as she is. But frankly, I don't ever want to be like her. I must have been insane to try," Jubilee muttered, and stood up, wrenching her wrist away from his grip.  
  
"Look, Jubilee, I'm trying to apologize...so we can be friends again. I'm sorry about what happened today at the carnival," Lance called after her. Jubilee turned around, her eyes turbulent.  
  
"So you believe me about Laura?" Jubilee asked him, biting her lip tensely. Lance paused, and Jubilee turned away disgustedly.  
  
"I'm sorry that we fought, Jubilee, but I've known Laura for a long time. And I don't know why you can't get along with her."  
  
"Here's a few reasons, maybe because she's a manipulative, conniving snob!" Jubilee said hotly.  
  
Lance stepped forward. "I care about you, Jubilee, I don't want to hurt you," Lance said desperately, his green eyes flashing concern, as Jubilee's eyes filled with hurt.  
  
  
  
"It's too late for that. Go back to your old girlfriend," Jubilee said, fighting back tears, and ran back into the house. 


	27. old and new

NOTE: Rate and review please! thanx  
  
"One Mississippi, two Mississippi," Kitty muttered to herself, in an effort to keep herself from staring too obviously at Pietro and Stacy who were laughing at something. Probably her. Jerk.  
  
"Students, we have a new student from Bayville joining our History class. Everyone, this is Derrick Marsden," Mrs. Sanchez announced, and beamed broadly at the dark-haired boy walking in just then. The audible gasps from the girls were only testimonial to the fact that Derrick was undeniably good-looking.  
  
Kitty sat up a little straighter, wondering why she kept mentally comparing every attractive guy to Pietro. Especially, since the jerk had written her off just because she wasn't taking him seriously. How COULD she take him seriously when he was with Stacy?  
  
Kitty crossed her arms sulkily, hardly noticing when Derrick slipped into the seat next to her.  
  
"Hey there, what's your name?"  
  
Kitty blinked, and stared at him. Was he actually talking to her?  
  
"Um, Kitty Pryde," Kitty answered slowly, as she took in Derrick's flashing grin. Really, the guy was too good-looking, and yet he wasn't gravitating towards the cheerleaders unlike certain fast-talking mutants. It defied logic.  
  
"Derrick Marsden, nice to meet you," Derrick said, shaking her hand. Kitty shook his hand quickly and turned back to the front, aware that several girls were shooting murderous glances in her direction. "So tell me, are you free for lunch this afternoon?" Derrick asked her after a moment.  
  
Kitty nearly fell out of her seat. What the heck was going on here? A gorgeous guy who barely knew her, was asking her out...something just didn't seem right. Sure, lots of guys, especially Kurt, had told her she was pretty and funny. But things like this, just didn't happen to her everyday. A part of her was telling her to turn him down. Something about him was a little too smooth for her liking. But Kitty quickly squelched. What did she have to lose? It's not as if Pietro was turning dates down left and right for HER.  
  
"I'd love to," Kitty replied with a smile.  
  
Derrick flashed her a saccharine coated smile that again made Kitty feel strange. "Great, I'll see you at 2 in the cafeteria."  
  
Kitty nodded, and scooped her books into her backpack. She suddenly slammed into something firm. As she looked up, she locked eyes with Pietro. Kitty felt her heart jump. Why was HE the only one that could make her feel this way? Images of their first kiss raced through her head, and she swallowed hard.  
  
Pietro opened his mouth as if to say something, but glancing at Derrick he gave her a cool look and brushed past her. Kitty blinked back tears and forced herself to calm down.  
  
"Bye Kitty," Derrick said.  
  
"Seeya," Kitty said distractedly, watching Pietro walk away. She saw him turn the corner. Kitty frowned. The hallway beyond that led to Professor X's study. What was going on?  
  
Kitty phased through the connecting doorway and got there just in time to see the Professor usher Pietro and close the door behind him. Kitty knelt down on the floor and pressed her ear against the door.  
  
"Hello Pietro, have a seat," Professor X's gentle voice sounded. Kitty bit her lip and tried to lean in closer. Damn hardwood doors.  
  
"I came to talk to you about the .mumble ..mumble," Pietro's said smoothly, the rest of his sentence barely audible. Kitty groaned in frustration.  
  
Kitty leaned her head against the door. "God, Kitty what are you doing?" Kitty groaned to herself. There was silence on the other side of the door. As Kitty got up to leave, the door opened and Pietro stepped out staring at her.  
  
Kitty felt her face burn up. Pietro raised his eyebrows, his eyes strangely unreadable. "Eavesdropping?"  
  
"Hardly," Kitty managed to retort after an embarrassing silence. "I was.uh, just going to talk to the Professor."  
  
"You better hurry, wouldn't want to be late for your lunch date," Pietro said his eyes radiating heat.  
  
Kitty stared. "It's not a date, it's just..a meeting." It sounded lame even to her ears.  
  
"Well, just in case you want to know, Derrick Marsden isn't all that he seems. He has a reputation for leaving a trail of broken hearts."  
  
Kitty swallowed. "Gee that sounds a lot like someone else I know, doesn't it?" Kitty said sarcastically, but feeling her heart thump painfully as she met his eyes.  
  
Pietro met her gaze squarely. "Some people change, others don't." And with that he sauntered off, leaving her more confused than ever. 


	28. hard to say i'm sorry

NOTE: Okay, I realize I have been very very bad..it's taken me forever to write these chapters because I've been on vacation, and every time I even go NEAR the computer, my parents want me to spend "time" with them. But Í"m sorry! I want to thank all my faithful readers and reviewers for giving me the kick in the butt I needed in order to finish these last few chapters of "crossfire." I think I've taken so long, because I've been working on another new Kietro fic called "All mixed up" that should be up on fanfic.net in a few weeks. Thanks again everybody, and happy new year!  
  
  
  
Rogue sat at the table, wondering why her eyes kept finding Bobby's, during one of the rare times when everyone, with the exception of Kitty and Pietro, were eating lunch together. Really this was too stupid. Why was she avoiding him and feeling immensely uncomfortable when Bobby was staring calmly at her, his brilliant blue eyes almost laughing? I'm going to finish my food and go upstairs and find something useful to do, Rogue said, trying her hardest to avert her eyes. To no avail. For some reason, she felt herself looking up at every occasion. Damn him.  
  
"Oh by the way, a phone call came for you Bobby while you were out," Dr. Grey said with a smile.  
  
"Really? From who?"  
  
"A girl named Cathy, she wants you to call her back." Rogue gritted her teeth, at the way everyone winked suggestively at Bobby who merely laughed. Cathy? Who was Cathy? An old girlfriend? A new one?  
  
"Are you okay Rogue, you look like you want to kill that meatloaf," Kurt pointed out, at the way Rogue was digging her fork into her food.  
  
"I'm fine," Rogue said through clenched teeth. Bobby raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Okay everyone, I made dessert, I hope you all like it," Laura interrupted the tense silence with a saccharine-coated smile. "It's peach cobbler. You're favorite, Lance."  
  
Rogue muffled a laugh as Jubilee rolled her eyes and muttered something indistinguishable under her breath. Lance looked over at her, his eyes trying to catch Jubilee's gaze with little success. Rogue felt a little sorry for him. How do you say your sorry to someone after you've messed up?  
  
Wait a second, I didn't mess up, he did, Rogue reminded herself staunchly. But now that she thought about it, she wasn't even mad anymore. In fact, she couldn't remember why she had been angry in the first place. What she wanted more than anything was to make up with Bobby, and have him speaking to her again. If only she hadn't been so darn stubborn!  
  
Rogue looked forlornly into her hopelessly demolished meatloaf, wondering if she could just quickly drop an apology note in Bobby's room and make a run for it, or if she'd have to go through the embarrassing, and ego-bruising process of apologizing to him in person. Rogue half-heartedly picked up her fork and decided to try some of the peach-cobbler. Almost immediately she wished she hadn't.  
  
Bobby began coughing and Logan manfully hid a grimace. Jubilee choked almost at the same time as Lance and they both reached for the pitcher of water.  
  
"Here, take it," Lance gasped. Jubilee jumped back as if struck by lightening when her fingers brushed against his.  
  
"No, I'm fine," Jubilee managed stiffly, while trying to swallow the mouthful of cobbler. Rogue rolled her eyes. Talk about immature.  
  
"How is it?" Laura demanded.  
  
"It's..uh, different," Lance said weakly, his eyes still on Jubilee.  
  
"Well I added my own secret ingredient," Laura said haughtily.  
  
"What? Cyanide?" Jubilee muttered.  
  
Kurt chuckled but turned into a nervous cough at Laura's icy glare.  
  
"Does anyone want seconds?" Laura asked snootily.  
  
"No!" Logan practically yelled, holding up a hand. "Uh, what I meant was, NO I think I'm gonna hurl chunks," Logan amended, and then stopped. "Wait, uh, as in, never mind," Logan finally muttered cowering slightly under Dr. Grey's disapproving look.  
  
"Well, good, then Lancey can have it all to himself," Laura cooed, repacking the pie and putting into the fridge.  
  
"Lucky you," Bobby commented to a dismayed Lance, as he tried to hide a smirk that only Rogue caught. But as he looked up, his eyes cooled slightly as they slid over her. Rogue swallowed hard and looked away.  
  
At that moment Laura walked over and draped her arms around Lance's neck. Rogue watched Jubilee's eyes begin to glisten. "Excuse me," Jubilee whispered, and slid out of her seat and fled the kitchen. Logan glared hard at Lance whose eyes watched Jubilee go much to the fury of Laura, whose lips were pursed tight.  
  
Bobby got up to go as well, and Rogue held her breath and followed him out. This was it. "Bobby?" Rogue ventured hesitantly when they had reached the top of the stairs. Bobby stopped and faced her.  
  
"Yeah?" Bobby said, his eyes searching hers.  
  
Rogue bit her lip, her heart racing furiously. "Um...I just wanted to say that."  
  
"That?" Bobby prompted gently.  
  
"Uh, you...your shoelace is untied," Rogue blurted out. Bobby let out a groan and turned his back to her. "No, um, wait that isn't what I wanted to say," Rogue said desperately. Bobby turned back around, his arms crossed in front of his chest.  
  
"What do you want to tell me Rogue? That somehow I screwed up again? Well, sorry, I guess I couldn't get through all your defenses...but I gave it my best," Bobby said, throwing up his hands.  
  
"I know, and it worked," Rogue replied, her eyes shining.  
  
"And I...what?!" Bobby said bewildered.  
  
"It worked," Rogue said and fell into his open arms.  
  
"Good, because I was this close to throwing in the towel," Bobby whispered into her hair.  
  
"Oh, Bobby just one more thing?" Rogue said seriously, as she tucked her head under his chin.  
  
"Yes?" Bobby said tenderly.  
  
"Who's Cathy?" Rogue asked. Bobby groaned, and Rogue laughed. "Just kidding." 


	29. cat fight in the hall

Jubilee fled the kitchen, not knowing what made her more sick; Laura's peach poison or how completely Laura was winning Lance over. Not that she cared. Jubilee wiped her eyes furiously, and marched up the stairs fully prepared to sulk in her room when she felt a hand on her arm.  
  
"Look, Lance-," Jubilee said furiously, turning around, but then stopped in mid-sentence when she was met with Laura's sneering face.  
  
"May I have a word with you?" Laura asked, smirking at her. Jubilee stared at her. What could Laura possibly have to say to her? Jubilee sighed.  
  
"Fine, whatever," Jubilee replied evenly and followed Laura through the halls. Laura stopped abruptly and turned quickly to Jubilee, her eyes narrowing to angry slits. Jubilee swallowed and took a step back.  
  
"Alright listen up," Laura began with fury vibrating in her voice, "Lance is stupid to even think you two are good for each other, because we have a history together. You hear me, he loves me!" Laura's eyes narrowed.  
  
Where did Lance MEET this girl, Jubilee thought, taking a step back, because she is truly freaky! "No, he feels sorry for you," Jubilee retorted, gaining some of her old confidence back.  
  
"You don't stand a chance with him," Laura sneered, as if she'd never heard her. Jubilee felt a sudden rush of pain, realizing the truth in her words. Lance was blinded by Laura, and he would never see Jubilee as anything more than a friend. And there was no point in fighting for him, knowing that.  
  
"I don't need to hear this," Jubilee said quietly, with dignity and turned around to leave when she felt herself pushed hard onto the floor. Jubilee got to her feet quickly, furious now at Laura who flashed her a taunting smile. "I'm not going to fight you Laura, it's not worth it."  
  
"Well, that's too bad, because I am," Laura taunted, her eyes glowing an eerie blue. And with that she shoved Jubilee back again.  
  
"Alright, that's it," Jubilee said determinedly. Jubilee straightened her shoulders and ducked as Laura threw a punch. It would have been comical of prissy Laura to be fighting so viciously if it weren't such a heated match.  
  
Jubilee managed to get in a few good kicks, which sent Laura flying to the wall.  
  
Suddenly a voice boomed behind them. "What the hell is going on here?!"  
  
Oh no, Jubilee thought groaning. Turning around only confirmed her worst fears, a stern looking Logan flanked by Dr. Grey and Storm both with equally disapproving looks on their faces. The situation didn't look good for her, Jubilee thought bleakly. What with Laura getting up with an angelic expression in place.  
  
"Look I can explain," Jubilee began desperately.  
  
"Jubilee attacked me just as I was walking down the hall," Laura blurted out.  
  
"That's a lie and you know it!" Jubilee said hotly, glaring at Laura who was now fluffing out her blonde hair with a triumphant grin. "She called me aside to "talk" and then started a fight," Jubilee explained desperately. Great, it's just going to be like last time. Nobody will believe me, Jubilee thought bleakly. To her utter surprise, she saw Lance step out from the room behind Laura, his face grim and taut.  
  
"Lance!" Laura gasped, shock twisting her features. "I-uh,... did you see what she DID to me?!" Laura recovered quickly, her voice accusatory.  
  
"Save it, okay Laura. I heard everything," Lance said disgustedly, taking a step away from her.  
  
Jubilee looked at him tremulously, unable to believe it when Lance walked to her and firmly took her hand in his. "I'm sorry, Jubes. I acted like an idiot because I didn't want to believe that Laura could've changed so much," Lance whispered to her.  
  
Logan cleared his throat loudly. "Would somebody mind explaining what's going on?"  
  
"Laura started a fight with Jubilee," Lance explained, his voice tight with anger. Then turning to Laura, he said coolly, "I think you've overstayed your welcome here."  
  
"Great, because I can't stand this dump a second longer," Laura sneered, any pretence of innocence gone, and stormed past the shocked Dr. Grey and Storm.  
  
Jubilee stood rooted to the floor as Logan shook his head and turned to leave along with Storm and Dr. Grey after making sure she was alright. A silence entered between Jubilee and Lance.  
  
Jubilee cleared her throat and looked up shyly. "Um, well, I'm glad we're friends again."  
  
Lance's hazel eyes sparkled down at her. "Just friends?"  
  
"Um, well, I," Jubilee stumbled on her words, blushing furiously. Lance chuckled quietly and pulled her in for a heart-stopping kiss.  
  
"Well said, Mr. Alvers," Jubilee laughed, as Lance smiled down at her. Finally, things had worked out. She could hardly believe it. 


	30. confused

NOTE: Well, we're nearing the end of the story, so please please REVIEW! Thank you!  
  
Kitty ran a hand through her hair self consciously as she spotted Derek leaning against the door to the cafeteria. A gorgeous guy is waiting to take me to lunch so why am I not more excited? Kitty thought biting her lip. Somehow she couldn't get the image of Pietro's face when she'd accepted Derek's lunch invitation...the flicker of hurt in his eyes, the way his mouth had tightened..  
  
"Kitty, over here!" Derek called to her, flashing a smile that was lost on Kitty. Kitty jumped out of her reverie and shook her head, irritated with the direction of her thoughts. It wasn't as if Pietro was wasting any time thinking of HER...but still..  
  
Kitty sighed and forced a smile as she walked towards Derek. "Hi, sorry I'm late, I had an errand to, um, run for Dr. Grey," Kitty lied.  
  
"Oh no problem, Kitty," Derek crooned. Kitty forced back the urge to roll her eyes. What is wrong with me, Kitty thought, as she followed Derek. There were hundreds of girls that would kill to be in her shoes at that moment..so why had he picked her?  
  
Derek slid into one side of the picnic bench outside and gestured for Kitty to sit. "Well, I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be having lunch with you," Derek gushed, flashing his trademark smile once again.  
  
"Uh, me too," Kitty said weakly, while inching away from him a little. Had she suddenly become a celebrity for him to be "thrilled" to have lunch with her? This was getting weird.  
  
The lunch continued slowly, with Derek talking about his many athletic accomplishments, recounting stories of his victories in skating, basketball, hockey, football...and Kitty tried her hardest to pay attention, but felt her mind wandering every few minutes, until even Derek, who was completely oblivious to her apathy, noticed.  
  
"Is something wrong? You haven't said a word in five minutes," Derek said, irritation showing plainly in his voice. Kitty sighed.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry Derek, but I'm kind of interested in someone right now," Kitty confessed, feeling her cheeks heat up. Derek's eyes narrowed to an almost unfriendly squint.  
  
"Who?" Derek asked.  
  
"Well, um-," Kitty began, surprised at the question.  
  
"It wouldn't be Pietro Maximoff, would it?" Derek asked, letting out a short laugh that sounded more like a break, at Kitty's shocked face. "You don't possibly think he's interested in you, do you?"  
  
Kitty swallowed, feeling a pain in her chest. Was it that obvious to everyone how she felt about Pietro? Yet, somehow, she felt an innate urge to defend Pietro...she had seen honesty, sincerity, and kindness in him during the few weeks she'd spent with him. But how was she supposed to give him a chance when everyone was telling her the opposite?  
  
"He's a relentless playboy Kitty Pryde," Derek said seriously, his eyes narrowing again at her.  
  
"You're wrong about him," Kitty said quietly, desperately wanting to believe her words.  
  
"He's probably with Stacy right now," Derek continued harshly as if she'd never spoken. Kitty stood up.  
  
"I don't have to hear this," Kitty said, fighting tears and turned on her heel.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kitty, sorry for telling you what you probably already knew about Pietro Maximoff. He doesn't care about anyone but himself," Derek yelled after her. Kitty ran blindly across the grass and into the mansion, nearly colliding with Stacy who was coming out of a room.  
  
"Watch where your going Pryde," Stacy sneered at her. "I know you think you're really great now, having lunch with Derek."  
  
"How did you-," Kitty started, at a loss for words.  
  
"Pietro told me," Stacy said loftily. She laughed cruelly when she saw Kitty's eyes fill with hurt. "We spent the whole afternoon together and he told me he loved me," Stacy continued, her eyes triumphant. By that time, Kitty had heard enough.  
  
She raced out to the garden, her chest heaving with sobs, unable to bear Stacy's taunts.  
  
"Kitty, Kitty, are you all right?"  
  
Kitty looked up to see Pietro staring down at her, an anxious expression on his face. How dare he pretend to be concerned after he'd spent the whole afternoon exchanging spit with Stacy?! Derek was right, Kitty thought with anguish.  
  
"Get away from me!" Kitty lashed out, now thoroughly furious. To think that she had actually defended him to Derek! "You're a liar!"  
  
"What?!" Pietro asked, his blue eyes filled with confusion and hurt.  
  
"Don't even try to act all innocent. I know where you were all afternoon," Kitty said hotly, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
"I was right here...while you were out on your date with Derek," Pietro said, his face taut. "How did that go by the way?" Pietro asked sarcastically.  
  
"It went well, great, in fact," Kitty said furiously. "I've never had a better time with anyone! Derek is everything I could ever want in a guy..basically the exact opposite of you!" Kitty shot out, unable to stop herself, the hurt and anger bubbling out.  
  
Pietro's eyes flashed with something akin to betrayal. He was silent for awhile. "Good. Well, don't worry, you won't have to deal with me for long, I've heard enough," Pietro said, and gave her a long look before leaving.  
  
Kitty watched him go, tears glistening in her eyes. 


	31. the right thing to say

NOTE: Well, this is the last chapter..sniff. I had a lot of fun writing this story, and I can't wait to start my new one. Please give me feedback and advice because reviews are what motivates me to keep writing chapters. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers, you guys are the best! Enjoy.  
  
Dusk had settled quickly, and Kitty lifted her head from her pillow, blinking into the darkness. She sighed, the memories of the afternoon flooding her mind. After Pietro had left, Kitty had stayed in her room, not wanting to face her annoyingly chirpy friends. Even Rogue was behaving like a lovesick schoolgirl, leaving her with no one to share her heartbreak.  
  
Kitty sighed, opened her door, and padded downstairs hoping she could find either Dr. Grey or Storm to talk to. She was in luck, for both of the elder members of the X-men were sitting at the table sipping tea. They both looked up when she entered, exchanging glances as the noted her downcast eyes.  
  
"Is something wrong, Kitty?" Storm asked, her brown eyes concerned.  
  
"Well, um yes, sort of. I know you guys have a lot of baking and preparing to do for the Fundraiser tomorrow, but do you have a few minutes to talk?" Kitty asked hesitantly.  
  
"Oh of course, honey. We're all done preparing for the fundraiser anyways, with Pietro's help, we even got the posters done," Dr. Grey assured her.  
  
"Pietro?" Kitty blurted out, shocked.  
  
"Yes, he was helping us all afternoon, he just left an hour ago to pack," Storm said.  
  
"Pack? Pack for what?" Kitty asked, her heart beating furiously. Storm groaned and put her head in her hands. Dr. Grey cleared her throat.  
  
"No one was supposed to know, but it's just as well. You see, Pietro is leaving the school. He talked to the Professor and said he wanted to leave for awhile, he wasn't sure how long," Dr. Grey said a little sadly.  
  
"But why?" Kitty said disbelievingly, her eyes smarting with tears. Pietro had been telling the truth that day...and she had thrown it in his face. Kitty sat down in shock. "How come nobody knows about it yet?"  
  
"Pietro wanted it that way. He said he didn't want anyone to know, ...especially you Kitty," Storm sad quietly. "The Professor respected his decision, and let him leave tonight itself."  
  
Dr. Grey looked at Kitty's glistening eyes and shocked face. "If you hurry you can still catch him," Dr. Grey said gently. But Kitty was already racing down the halls, towards Pietro's room. She opened to find nobody there.  
  
Fighting back tears, Kitty raced out of the mansion barefoot, blinking into the darkness, running as if her life depended on it through the grounds. She spotted Pietro quietly opening the mansion gates, one suitcase in hand.  
  
"Pietro wait!" Kitty cried out, her hair flying behind her. Pietro's hand froze on the handle of his suitcase, he turned around, his blue eyes flashing with surprise and..something else.  
  
"Kitty, what are you doing out here! You're freezing, .and your barefoot!" Pietro said, putting down his suitcase, and taking off his jacket to put around her shoulders. Kitty looked up at him, unable to speak for a second.  
  
"You weren't planning on telling me," Kitty said, her voice shaky.  
  
"No..I wasn't," Pietro said quietly, after a moment.  
  
"Why are you leaving, Pietro?" Kitty asked, her heart pounding. "I think you know why, Kitty."  
  
"But you can't leave!" Kitty said desperately. "Everyone will miss you..."  
  
Pietro was silent, his eyes never leaving her face. Kitty flushed under his gaze.  
  
"And..I'll miss you," Kitty whispered. Pietro swallowed, his eyes unreadable, and suddenly his eyes grew warm.  
  
"That's what I needed to hear, Pryde. That's all I needed to hear," Pietro whispered back, before kissing her sweetly. Me too, Pietro, Kitty thought contentedly. 


End file.
